Two-Time NBA MVP Steve Nash, Former Yahoo! President/COO Jeff Mallett to Invest as...

Two-Time NBA MVP Steve Nash, Former Yahoo! President/COO Jeff Mallett to Invest as Owners in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)

SAN FRANCISCO--(Business Wire)--
Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) announced today that two-time
NBA MVP Steve Nash and former Yahoo! President and Chief Operating
Officer Jeff Mallett will become investors and part owners of the
league, which begins play in 2009 with teams based in Boston, Chicago,
Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington,
D.C. While Nash and Mallett will not operate a team, their investment
will fund the ongoing development of WPS and is specifically earmarked
for new media ventures and initiatives.

"I am really excited to play a role in bringing professional
women's soccer to North America," said Nash. "As a father of twin
girls, I'm especially pleased to help young women around the world
realize that their dreams of being a pro soccer player can indeed come
true."

Nash, a first-round draft pick by the Phoenix Suns in 1996, is
well known in the sports world as having dual passions for basketball
and soccer. Growing up in Victoria, British Columbia, soccer was in
Nash's blood. His father, John, played professionally in South Africa
and his sister, Joann, was the captain of the University of Victoria
women's soccer team, while his brother, Martin, plays professionally
for the USL First Division's Vancouver Whitecaps and also represents
the Canadian National Team. Nash, in his own right, was on the Mount
Douglas Secondary School soccer team that won the provincial
championship, leading him to be named British Columbia's Most Valuable
Player.

Mallett, best known for helping build Yahoo!, from its start-up
phase into the global franchise it is today, is also a former soccer
player, having spent two years in Canada's National and Olympic soccer
team programs as a teenager. Still an avid fan of the game, Mallett
serves as an advisor to League Commissioner Tonya Antonucci, who
formerly oversaw Yahoo! Sports and served as general manager of
Yahoo's partnership with the FIFA Men's and Women's World Cups.
Mallett is also a principle investor and executive committee member of
Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, a role which includes
ownership and management of the award winning AT&T Park and part
ownership of the San Francisco Bay Area's regional sports cable
television network.

"I believe the opportunity in North America to build a successful
professional women's soccer league that attracts the best players in
the world is here and now," said Mallett. "I look forward to working
with the commissioner's office and the board of governors to help
chart the course and deliver a compelling business venture, along with
exciting entertainment to the millions of soccer fans around the
continent."

"Steve and Jeff's passion for women's soccer, combined with their
overall sports and business acumen, make them ideal ambassadors for
the sport and perfect partners for WPS," said Antonucci. "With just
over a year until play begins, we will no doubt keep our newest owners
actively involved with a number of events, business initiatives and
other announcements."

About Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)

The mission of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) is to be the
premier women's soccer league in the world and the global standard by
which women's professional sports are measured. Play kicks off in the
spring of 2009, with WPS teams based in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los
Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. For more
information, visit www.womensprosoccer.com.

NOTE TO MEDIA:

Please first reference the league in print or broadcast coverage
using the full name of "Women's Professional Soccer," after which the
"WPS" acronym can be incorporated. Please do not abbreviate the
league's name to "Women's Pro Soccer," or qualify it as "the Women's
Professional Soccer," "the WPS," "Women's Professional Soccer league,"
"WPS league," "the Women's Professional Soccer league," or "the WPS
league." Any questions regarding usage of the league's name or logo
should be directed to: media@womensprosoccer.com.

Fleishman-Hillard Sports Business
Jennifer Peters, 314-982-9167 (office)
jennifer.peters@fleishman.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008