City’s new pro soccer club announces first official sponsorship
LOUISVILLE, KY. (Nov. 12, 2014) — When Louisville’s first professional outdoor soccer team takes the field for preseason games in February, players will have the support of Kentucky’s largest healthcare system.
In Louisville City FC’s first official sponsorship, Baptist Health Sports Medicine will provide the team with its comprehensive, multidisciplinary services, including dedicated team physicians, sports performance, athletic training and physical therapy.
“This partnership is one of the most important partnerships for any professional sports team, so finding the right partner is crucial,” said Djorn Buchholz, Louisville City FC president. “We could tell from the get-go that there was this high level of excitement with Baptist, and it just made perfect sense.”
Baptist Health Sports Medicine is located in Baptist Health Louisville’s Eastpoint Parkway outpatient center. The 11,000-square-foot sports medicine facility offers diagnostic technology including digital X-rays, MRI, CT and advanced ultrasound, as well as a physical therapy/training gym, indoor running track, climbing wall and a turf field. Services also include onsite orthopedic surgeons, a neurologist specializing in concussion management, and a sports nutrition counselor.
“This is a great opportunity for Baptist Health and Baptist Health Sports Medicine to show the community, as well as a professional sports organization, the scope of what we can do for them,” said Christopher Pitcock, M.D.
Dr. Pitcock and Mark Puckett, M.D., will serve as team physicians, with Scott Ritter serving as the team’s athletic trainer. Nick Sarantis, practice manager for Baptist Health Sports Medicine, will head up the team’s sports performance training.
“Hopefully, most athletes will go through an entire season without an injury, but unfortunately that doesn’t always happen. We aim to try to prevent injuries through pre-season training and sports performance, and to treat injuries aggressively and quickly if they do occur,” Dr. Pitcock said.
That proactive approach is part of what attracted James O’Connor, head coach for Louisville City FC, to Baptist Health.
“There was definitely an alignment on our viewpoints,” he said. “We need a very sound injury prevention program, and Baptist showed an understanding of that.”
Invitational tryouts for the soccer team are Nov. 22-23, and the club expects around 120 players from across the world to participate. The team will play about 28 matches during its regular season, which runs from March to September.
The soccer franchise moved to Louisville from Orlando after Orlando was awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) team for next season. Louisville City FC will play in the USL PRO. Games will be played at Louisville Slugger Field, which will be transformed into a turf field, with the pitchers’ mound retracting into the ground.
In the coming months, Baptist Health Sports Medicine will work with the team to host events introducing players to the community, drum up excitement for the team and get the word out about their services as well.
“Baptist Health is proud to work with an organization that is as committed to being a part of the community as we are,” Sarantis said. “It’s exciting to have professional sports in Louisville, and we are excited for the opportunity to help keep their players on the field.”
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