ATLANTA, Ga., The Super Show/2000 - February 10, 2000 - With the launch of its new Web site today at The Super Show/2000 in Atlanta, Ga., Active USA.com has made the journey to the finish line easier for more than 120 million participatory athletes in individual and team sports, while at the same time establishing a first in the sports market for offering a one-stop, full service recreational sports Internet destination. The company - which recently adopted the name, ActiveUSA.com, to reflect recent mergers and acquisitions with five of the industry's leading recreational sports portals - also announced today the appointment of Dave Alberga as president and chief executive officer, further strengthening its management team.
"I'm excited to join such an incredible team of sports and Internet industry talent," said Alberga. "ActiveUSA.com has quickly carved a truly unique position in the industry, delivering a one-stop Web service that markets directly to a complete sports audience - a market that includes participant athletes worldwide, whether they're training for a marathon or playing in a softball league."
New site, new services
The new ActiveUSA.com site is richer in content and deeper in service offerings, reflecting the combined resources and strengths of the new company. Whether it's running and triathlons or ice hockey and snowboarding, the new site offers a much wider range of information, tips, and services, now targeting close to 60 sports. Site visitors can now access a diverse list of sports that includes badminton, basketball, bodybuilding, climbing, disc sports, equestrian, fencing, fishing, figure skating, golf, football, inline skating, ice hockey, horseshoes, kayak/canoe, lacrosse, martial arts, roller hockey, racquetball, rowing, rugby, skiing, snowboarding, soccer, soft/baseball, tennis, volleyball, water polo, wrestling and more. ActiveUSA.com members can access a comprehensive list of event calendars for every sport, plus online search and registration tools. With the site's new Personal Trainer feature, members can also participate in customized, online training programs delivered by the world's best coaches. The site also features content-rich pages of hot news from newly-added publications such as Fitness Swimmer, Bicycling, and Mountain Bike. ActiveUSA.com membership continues to be free, with quick and secure sign-up.New leadership, new team
In addition to overseeing ActiveUSA.com's management and operations, Alberga will lead the company's new management team, which has been strengthened with the addition of founding members from the following merged and acquired companies: Westminster, Colo.-based LeagueLink, Inc.; Miami-based ActiveUSA.com; La Jolla-based RaceGate.com; San Francisco-based EnterOnline; and Atlanta-based GetSetGo.
Alberga brings significant operational management, brand building and Internet experience, joining ActiveUSA.com from TicketMaster Online-CitySearch (Nasdaq: TMCS) - a leading local portal and transactions company - where he served as chief operating officer of the company's City Guides segment. In three years with TMCS, Alberga's initial role as general manager of established markets for CitySearch City Guides was expanded to executive vice president and finally, chief operating officer. He successfully built local management teams in sixteen markets, oversaw operating and reporting procedures for each field organization, and participated in raising private equity for CitySearch. Alberga has also held operational management positions with both Linear Technology Inc. and Silicon Valley Technology Inc., and gained management consulting and brand management experience from work with the Boston Consulting Group and Procter & Gamble Company. With a bachelor of science degree in general engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Alberga also holds a master of business administration and master of arts degree in development economics from Stanford University.
Other new additions to the ActiveUSA.com team include Chief Product Officer Matt McAdams, Ph.D., who will lead the company's product and technology groups. Formerly founder and chief executive officer of LeagueLink, McAdams founded LeagueLink to enhance the experience of participating in a recreational sports league.
Jon Belmonte, co-founder and vice president of strategy and business development for LeagueLink, will serve as ActiveUSA.com's new chief operating officer. Overseeing product management, marketing and sales, Belmonte brings a strong background in strategic marketing and management consulting for both consumer and business markets.
ActiveUSA.com is the largest and most comprehensive Internet site for participatory sports, providing athletes, event directors and sports participants worldwide a range of Web-based resources and services. The La Jolla-based company represents the best of five recreational sports portals, all started by athletes in search of a better way to handle the search and registration process for participating in sporting events. Featuring the world's largest online registration database, ActiveUSA.com offers more than 75,000 events nationwide in close to 60 sports and provides access to more than 50 million recreational athletes. Services include online event search and registration, event management resources, participatory sports calendars, community features, training tools and more. For additional information on ActiveUSA.com and its services, visit www.activeusa.com.