On Friday, tournament officials celebrated the announcement that the Jacksonville-based Fortune 1000 company, MPS Group, Inc. (NYSE: MPS), will become the new title sponsor of Northeast Florida's premier women's professional tennis tournament, formerly the Bausch & Lomb Championships, for a three-year term beginning in April 2009. The tournament now claims The MPS Group Championships as its official title.
"MPS Group is a recruitment leader in the fields of law, healthcare and accounting, all professions that are popular career choices for women," said Timothy Payne, president and CEO of MPS Group. "Sponsoring The MPS Group Championships will allow us to build brand awareness and underscore our commitment to providing career opportunities for women."
Along with a new title sponsor, the oceanfront community of Sawgrass Country Club, located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, will, subject to and following Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Board approval, be christened as the new tournament site when play gets under way April 6-12, 2009.
George Fetherston, COO and general manager of Sawgrass Country Club added: "My entire staff and I look forward to working closely with the highly professional Octagon organization to ensure a successful, smooth-running event - a world-class tournament that should stimulate and delight the fans, our membership of over 1000 residents of Ponte Vedra Beach, and the Northeast Florida region."
"We are very excited to begin a new chapter," stated tournament director, John Arrix. "With the support of MPS Group, we will continue to deliver to Northeast Florida great women's professional tennis. MPS Group brings tremendous enthusiasm for Jacksonville and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The MPS Group's support and the new site will make for a very exciting future."
The historically rich Tour event will once again kick off the American clay court season in style with a trio of celebrations: the welcoming of MPS Group as the title sponsor, Sawgrass Country Club as the new host site and an incredible 30 years of bringing world class women's tennis to fans and sports enthusiasts on Florida's First Coast. The MPS Group Championships will be hailed as one of nine sanctioned American Tour events on the Tour's worldwide calendar.
"As the third oldest US event in women's tennis, this tournament has a rich history and attracts many of the top players as well as up and coming stars. We look forward to building on that legacy and making this a great event for the Tour. The broad appeal of women's tennis and the platform the Tour provides MPS Group is a great opportunity to enhance brand recognition for MPS Group and the specialized professional recruitment business units," said Tyra Tutor, senior vice president of corporate development for MPS Group.
MPS Group is a leading provider of staffing, consulting and solutions with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia. With the Tour offering sanctioned tournaments in the majority of these regions, MPS Group looks to enhance its brand and build awareness for their service offerings.
(Source: sonyericssonwtatour.com)
