Soccer Tournament to bring Unity to Balkan Refugees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canonsburg, PA- Croatians, Bosnians & Kosovars will play for peace in the second annual Fevzi Leka Invitational indoor soccer tournament on March 21st, at the Iceoplex at Southpointe.

The tournament is in honor of former Iceoplex employee, Fevzi Leka, a Kosovo refugee who was killed in a car accident in 2013 when visiting his former home in southeastern Europe. Leka and his family spent five months in a refugee prison before arriving in the United States in 1999 and finding a home and sanctuary in the Pittsburgh’s North Hills region.

Many other Balkan refugees followed in Leka’s footsteps with the help of Catholic Charities by moving into the North & South Hills where many of the first and second-generation refugees still reside.

In addition to his work at the Iceoplex, in which he always took pride, Leka also loved to play soccer, playing weekly, all summer long. It was because of Leka’s love for soccer, as well as his inspirational story, that led to the creation of the Fevzi Leka Invitational indoor soccer tournament. The tournament invites all of Leka’s Kosovan, Bosnian and Croatian neighbors from the North Hills to unite on common ground despite their different backgrounds and find peace with nothing more than a ball and a positive outlook.

Mandi Bridgeman, the Director of Marketing and Sponsorships at the Iceoplex believes “Sports are a worldwide passion and despite cultural differences they serve as a stepping-stone for uniting different ethnicities and religions through the universal love of playing.

The tournament will be held on March 21st at the Iceoplex at Southpointe from 12pm-4pm and will be followed by a traditional lamb dinner provided by the BLVD Pub & Kitchen. Other teams interested in playing should contact Scott Zemba at szemba@iceoplex.net

About the Iceoplex:
The Iceoplex is an 85,000 square foot multi-sport facility and event center in the heart of Southpointe in Washington County, PA. The Iceoplex offers several different recreational sports to both children and adults including hockey, figure skating, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, dek hockey, football and basketball as well as learn-to-play lessons. In addition, the Iceoplex is adjoined by a full restaurant and bar, “The BLVD Pub & Kitchen” as well as an on-site state-of-the-art fitness center, “Bodytech”at Southpointe.

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Contact:
Mandi Bridgeman
412-737-3347
mbridgeman@iceoplex.net

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