Baltimore to Host Manchester City and Inter Milan Soccer Match

By Abby Draper

It was a very exciting day today for Baltimore area sports fans! This morning, M and T Bank Stadium hosted a press conference to announce that the Manchester City Football Club will play Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly known as Inter Milan, in a soccer game on July 31.

Attendees were greeted by Kevin Byrne, Senior VP of Public and Community Relations for the Ravens, who couldn't have been more excited about the event. Byrne then introduced Roy Sommerhoff, Vice President of Stadium Operations for the Ravens, who reminded us that last year, M and T Bank Stadium played host to a historic event as two of the world's elite soccer clubs, AC Milan and Chelsea, faced one another in Baltimore. That game brought more than 70,000 fans, proving that the worlds game was well received in Baltimore.

Dick Cass, President of the Ravens enthusiastically welcomed the "other" football back to Baltimore and introduced us to Mike Frenz, Executive Director of the Maryland Stadium Authority. Frenz talked about the economic impact of having the teams in Baltimore this July, by stating

"Having another international soccer match in Baltimore is a huge win for the entire city as the game will generate significant economic impact for our attractions, hotels, restaurants and other downtown businesses."

Next to the podium was Terry Hasseltine, Director of the Maryland Office of Sports Marketing who discussed the cities interest in positively enhancing our World Cup bid efforts for 2018 or 2022 by hosting Manchester City and Inter Milan teams.

Kevin Healey, the President and General Manager for Baltimore Blast and President of the Baltimore Rays shared his knowledge of soccer and reminded us that Inter Milan has already won both the prestigious Italia Serie A title and the Coppa Italia this season and will face FC Bayern Munich May 22, for the UEFA Champions League Final, the culmination of Europe's most prestigious annual club soccer competition. The game will be broadcast live at 2:30 p.m. EST on FOX Sports Net.

The conference ended with an awesome video from Manchester City's Director of Football, Brian Marwood.

We are elated to be part of such a great even, and can't wait to watch this game right in Baltimore!

Abby Draper is the Manager of Social Media. Contact her at Abby@MaroonPR.com