Western New York Flash
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| Full name | Western New York Flash Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Flash | ||
| Founded | 2008 | ||
| Stadium | Sahlen's Stadium, Rochester, NY (Capacity: 13,768) |
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| Owner |  Joe Sahlen |
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| Player/President | Alexandra Sahlen |
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| Manager |  Aaran Lines |
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| League | WPSL Elite League | ||
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The Western New York Flash is an American professional soccer club based in Buffalo, New York (but play their games in Rochester, New York). It was founded in 2008 and played its inaugural season in 2009. The team is a member of WPSL Elite League.
The franchise is owned by the Sahlen family, who run a meat packing company in Buffalo.[1] Joe Sahlen is the owner. Alex Sahlen is the team President.[2] Former New Zealand international Aaran Lines, Alex Sahlen's husband, is the head coach.[3]
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[edit] History
[edit] 2009
In 2009 Buffalo Flash made its debut in the Great Lakes (formerly Northern) Division of the Central Conference, lining up against teams from Hamilton, Laval, London, Ottawa, Quebec City, Rochester and Toronto. It finished second, with a regular season record of 9-2-3 from their 14 matches, undefeated in their seven games on the road, and with 40 goals scored, and 10 conceded. In the post-season playoffs, the Flash reached the Central Conference semi-final, to end their inaugural season with a 10-3-3 record. They were beaten 3-0 by FC Indiana, the only other full-time professional outfit in the league.[4]
The 2009 team roster included players from six countries across four continents. There were four local players from Western NY, various US players from numerous states (including two with USA U-20 National Team experience), players from the full Italian National Team, Portuguese National Team, South African National Team, and also from Spain and Japan. To aid team bonding, the squad were housed in the same apartment complex.[4]
[edit] 2010
Before the 2010 season Buffalo Flash signed English trio Gemma Davison, Eartha Pond and Ann-Marie Heatherson.[5] Mele French and Kelly Parker arrived from German club SC Freiburg.[6] Kimberly Brandão returned despite attending a training camp with Sky Blue FC, but Erika Sutton left for the Boston Breakers[3] and Sarah Wagenfuhr joined St. Louis Athletica.[7]
In 2010 Buffalo Flash competed in the Midwest Division of the W-League, finishing the regular season 14-0-2 against Chicago Red Eleven, Cleveland Internationals, Kalamazoo Outrage and London Gryphons.[3] Buffalo Flash won the W-League Championship by defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 at Harry Welch Stadium in Santa Clarita, California.[8] They finished the season undefeated, while Kelly Parker was named W-League MVP.[8]
[edit] 2011
The team made plans to move to Women's Professional Soccer for the 2011 season. In September 2010, team president Alex Sahlen and coach Aaran Lines—both of whom have played for Rochester-based soccer teams—indicated that the team was looking at playing up to half of its WPS home games at Rochester's Marina Auto Stadium (now Sahlen's Stadium).[2] On September 24, WPS officially confirmed that the new team would indeed join the league.[9] The name of the WPS team was announced as the Western New York Flash on December 1, 2010.[10] The September announcement confirmed that the team would play half its home games at Marina Auto Stadium. The remaining games were originally intended to be played at Niagara Field, a smaller facility on the campus of Niagara University in Lewiston that is set to be expanded to 4,000 for the 2011 WPS season.[11] The league also attempted to negotiate a deal with All-High Stadium in Buffalo, although the owners of the field, Buffalo Public Schools, never responded. However, the December announcement indicated that the entire 2011 home schedule would be in Rochester.[10]
The Flash selected Alex Morgan with the first pick in the 2011 WPS Draft.[12]
On January 25, 2011, the Flash signed 2009 and 2010 WPS MVP and WPS Golden Boot Marta.[13]
With a 13-2-3 regular season record, the Flash earned the regular season title and the right to host the WPS Championship presented by Citi. On August 27, 2011, Western New York Flash capped their inaugural season in WPS by capturing the 2011 WPS Championship title 1-1 (5-4) in a penalty kick shootout in front of the largest championship crowd in league history.[14]
[edit] 2012
When it was announced that WPS had suspended its 2012 season, the Flash announced their plans to continue playing[15] and shortly thereafter joined the new WPSL Elite League.
[edit] Stadium
In 2009 the team played their home games at Orchard Park High School Field, in Orchard Park, New York, 15 miles south-east of downtown Buffalo, NY, and trained daily at the nearby Sahlen's Sports Park in Elma, NY. In 2010 the team played home games at the Demske Sports Complex at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.[3]
The Sahlen family obtained the naming rights to Marina Auto Stadium in February 2011, so the team will play its inaugural WPS season at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester.
[edit] Colours and badge
The Flash's home colors are red and away colors are black. As of 2010 the team's shirts are sponsored by Mazda.[3]
[edit] 2012 Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Free Agents
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Notable former players
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | League | Regular Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | USL W-League | 2nd, Great Lakes Division | Central Conference semi-final |
| 2010 | USL W-League | 1st, Midwest Division | USL W-League Champions |
| 2011 | WPS | 1st | WPS Champions |
[edit] References
- ^ "Buffalo Flash join W-League in 2009". USLsoccer.com. http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/266595.html. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ a b DiVeronica, Jeff (September 16, 2010). "Women's soccer on horizon". Democrat and Chronicle. Gannett Company (Rochester, New York): p. 1D. Archived from the original on September 16, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5sn4aGTF7. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Watkins Glen title sponsor names grand marshals". motorsport.com. http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=368591&FS=GRANDAM*. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ a b Sarah Delmonte. "Flash Forward: Soccer In Buffalo". Sports & Leisure Magazine. http://www.buffaloflashsoccer.com/index.cfm?template=news&news_id=4131. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Buffalo fields English flair in 2010". USLsoccer.com. http://wleague.uslsoccer.com/home/409150.html. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Buffalo Sign 2 From Sky Blue". USLsoccer.com. http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72011+Elements/Display+E+47116+News/Display/+13599620+19431668+3867. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Sarah Wagenfuhr". Women's Professional Soccer. http://www.womensprosoccer.com/stlouis/players/bios/sarah-wagenfuhr. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ a b "Buffalo Flash Wins USL W-League Women's Soccer Championship". Hometime Station AM 1220. 2010-08-02. http://hometownstation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21232:womens-soccer-2010-08-02-06-05&catid=39:hometown-sports&Itemid=45. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Western New York Franchise Set to Join WPS as Eighth Team" (Press release). Women's Professional Soccer. September 24, 2010. http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/news/press_releases/100924-buffalo.aspx. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ a b "Western New York WPS Franchise unveils team name" (Press release). Western New York Flash. December 1, 2010. http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/news/press_releases/101201-wny-flash.aspx. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ Moritz, Amy (September 23, 2010). "Buffalo slated to receive WPS team". The Buffalo News. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/other/article199592.ece. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/011411aac.html
- ^ womensprosoccer.com; Western New York Flash acquire Marta; January 25, 2011
- ^ womensprosoccer.com; Flash Win WPS Championship ; August 28, 2011
- ^ http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/article717630.ece
[edit] External links
Media related to Western New York Flash at Wikimedia Commons
- The Official Western New York Flash website
- Sahlen's Buffalo Flash join W-League in 2009
- Sahlen's Sports Park
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