For more information, contact:
The St. Louis Sports Commission
314-992-0687
sports@stlouissports.org

ST. LOUIS REACHES VOLUNTEER GOAL FOR
2005 NCAA® FINAL FOUR®

MORE THAN 2,500 LOCAL RESIDENTS SIGNED UP TO WELCOME AND ASSIST THOUSANDS OF FANS
EXPECTED TO VISIT GATEWAY CITY

ST. LOUIS — March 11, 2005 — The St. Louis Organizing Committee for the 2005 NCAA Final Four made the call, and area residents have answered. More than 2,500 people signed up to volunteer for the Final Four and help St. Louis stage one of its biggest sporting events ever. All volunteer positions are now filled for the event, which takes place April 2 & 4 at the Edward Jones Dome.

“We have achieved our volunteer recruitment goal and we would like to thank all who have committed their time to make the event a success for St. Louis,” said Missy Slay, executive director of the St. Louis Organizing Committee. “Once again the St. Louis region has stepped to the plate and done a terrific job. This is why St. Louis is known as America's best sports city.”

Volunteers will welcome and assist the more than 50,000 fans expected to visit St. Louis during the event. Their duties include serving as greeters and staffing information desks at the airport and hotels; assisting at hospitality functions; working at the Hoop City® interactive fan festival, NCAA YES® Clinics, and other ancillary activities; providing assistance to fans outside the Edward Jones Dome; and helping with various transportation needs connected to the Final Four.

While the event is a sellout and all volunteer positions are filled, there are still many ways for St. Louisans to be part of the Final Four. Affiliated events such as open practice, team pep rallies, Taste of St. Louis, March to the Arch, and Dasani Fest are all free to the public. Youth basketball players ages 10 to 18 can participate in one of four free NCAA YES ® basketball clinics. Hoop City ® is at America's Center and tickets are only $5. And tickets are still available for the NABC All-Star Game at Savvis Center April 1. For more details on all events surrounding the Final Four, visit www.stlloc.org.

The 2005 Final Four is one of seven NCAA championships that will take place in the Gateway City this decade. It's the first Men's Final Four to take place in St. Louis since 1978.

The St. Louis Organizing Committee is the entity formed to operate the day-to-day preparations for the 2005 NCAA Final Four. The St. Louis Organizing Committee is a partnership between the Missouri Valley Conference, Saint Louis University, the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission and the St. Louis Sports Commission. For more information, visit www.stlloc.org or call 314-621-2307.