SAS, Carolina Courage, CASL Announce Partnership; SAS Purchases Naming Rights to New Soccer Complex In Cary, NC

Business Wire, April 30, 2002

Business Editors

CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 2002

SAS Institute announced Monday that it has purchased naming rights to Cary's new seven-field soccer complex, home of the Carolina Courage women's professional soccer team.

The agreement is part of a three-year partnership between the Cary-based software manufacturer, the Courage and the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL).

The announcement follows a stepped-up effort on behalf of SAS, the world's largest privately held software company, to raise its brand awareness around the globe. SAS is the title sponsor of the SAS Championship, a Senior PGA event in Cary. The partnership with CASL and the Carolina Courage also serves a community goal, said SAS Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jim Davis.

"We're looking forward to working with CASL and the Courage to develop community outreach programs that serve young people through the game," said Davis, who has been involved with CASL as a volunteer, player and coach for 19 years. "It's the best of both worlds from our standpoint - we've got a winning combination on both the business and community sides through relationships with CASL, the Carolina Courage and the WUSA."

The seven-field, state-of-the-art facility will serve as the premier soccer venue in the Southeast. Managed by CASL LLC, SAS Stadium at the SAS Soccer Park will play host to home matches of the Carolina Courage of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) and the Raleigh CASL Elite of the USL Premier Developmental League. The NCAA Women's Division I College Cup in 2003 and 2004 will be played at SAS Stadium, and the United States Men's National Team will be training at the SAS Soccer Park from May 1-10, before heading to Korea and Japan to compete in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

CASL Board Chairman Robert Bode, Time Warner Cable President Randy Fraser and Davis joined WUSA President Lynn Morgan at a press conference Monday to announce the agreement.

"We've got a world-class venue that will serve thousands of soccer enthusiasts for years to come," said Bode. "This is a significant day in CASL's history, and we're thrilled to have partners like the Courage and SAS."

"The Triangle has a rich soccer tradition, and the Carolina Courage is happy to call SAS Stadium home," said Fraser. "To have corporate support from a company like SAS shows that the business community recognizes the value of women's professional soccer." Time Warner Cable is a WUSA investor with operating rights to the Carolina Courage.

The WUSA kicked off its second season on April 13th. The first place Courage is undefeated after winning its first two games on the road at San Diego and San Jose. The team will launch its home season at SAS Stadium's inaugural match May 4th against the Atlanta Beat at 4:00 pm. The Raleigh CASL Elite open their season in SAS Stadium on May 10th against Williamsburg, VA and will play nine home games in SAS Stadium from May to July.

"The creation of soccer-specific venues, like SAS Stadium, is integral to the success of the WUSA," said WUSA President Lynn Morgan. "The generous commitment of resources on the part of the Wake County Commissioners and Time Warner Cable, the vision and hard work of the Capital Area Soccer League, and the financial backing of companies like SAS has made this facility a reality. Now the WUSA is able to showcase its world class soccer product in a facility as professional as our players, and provide our fans an intimate venue in which to watch the best soccer action in the world."

Featuring the top international and domestic women's players from around the globe, including members of the 1999 World Cup Champion U.S. National Team like Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett, the WUSA is the premier women's professional soccer league. The league consists of eight franchises located in Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Jose, Washington D.C., and Cary, North Carolina. Last year's champion was the San Jose CyberRays.

The financial terms of SAS' agreements with CASL and the Carolina Courage were not disclosed.

About SAS

SAS is the market leader in providing a new generation of business intelligence software and services that create true enterprise intelligence. SAS solutions are used at more than 38,000 sites - including 99 of the top 100 businesses on the Fortune 500 - to develop more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; to enable better, more accurate and informed decisions; and to drive organizations forward. SAS is the only vendor that completely integrates leading data warehousing, analytics and traditional BI applications to create intelligence from massive amounts of data. For 25 years, SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know(TM). Visit us at www.sas.com.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.(R)indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright(c)2002 SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.