King, Olympians Hughes, Smart At NY Empire ‘Salute To Strong Women’ Thursday At Forest Hills Stadium

New York, 2016-Aug-10 — /EPR Network/ — The New York Empire presented by Citi unveiled a diverse and powerful lineup for its first ever “Salute To Strong Women” pre-match event set for Thursday night, August 11, at the venerable Forest Hills Stadium at The West Side Tennis Club, the home of the US Open for over 60 years. The event will precede the 7:00pm matchup between the NY Empire and the Orange County Breakers.

The pre-match event will run from 6:00 – 6:30 pm and will include a host of speakers, including:
· Billie Jean King, Mylan WTT Co-Founder and Hall of Famer
· Ilana Kloss, Mylan WTT CEO and Commissioner
· Melinda Katz, Queens Borough President
· Jennifer Johnson, Co-President, Franklin Templeton Investments
· Kym Hampton, Former NY Liberty star who will also sing the national anthem
· Sarah Hughes, US Olympic gold medalist in figure skating
· Erinn Smart, US Olympic silver medalist in fencing and Barnard College alum
· Meredith Maskara, Vice President of Product and Retail Sales for the Girl Scouts of Greater NY
· Aleia Naylor, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Women’s Sports Foundation

“I could not be more excited by the group of women who have agreed to be part of the NY Empire’s first Salute to Strong Women,” said Colleen Hopkins, General Manager of the NY Empire. “For the girls and women in attendance, as well as the boys and men that support them, this will be an inspiring evening that will provide them with the strength to accomplish their goals and dreams.”

Information about the NY Empire’s full roster of players and match day details can be found at www.NYEmpireTennis.com. You can also follow the team on Twitter (@nyempiretennis) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/NYEmpireTennis). To become a sponsor or purchase individual tickets, please email info@nyempiretennis.com, visit www.nyempiretennis.com or call the New York Empire office at (844) 5-EMPIRE (844-536-7473).

About the New York Empire
The New York Empire presented by Citi are playing their first season at Forest Hills Stadium at The West Side Tennis Club. The restored facility is configured to seat 2,500 for six home matches from July 31 through August 13. Patrick McEnroe is the coach of the Empire, former US Open champion Andy Roddick will be a marquee player on the team, and New Jersey native and one of the top American women, Christina McHale headline the roster. The Empire roster also features doubles specialists María Irigoyen of Argentina and Neal Skupski of Great Britain. The stadium hosted the US Open Tennis Championships a total of 60 times, first from 1915 to 1920, and then again from 1924 to 1977. In addition, the finals of the Davis Cup were held at the club 10 times, more than any other venue. Currently, the stadium is also used as a music venue for concerts such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon among many others.

About Mylan World TeamTennis
The New York Empire is one of six Mylan World TeamTennis presented by GEICO teams that will compete in the innovative professional team tennis league for the King Trophy, the championship trophy named after co-founder Billie Jean King. For more information on Mylan WTT, visit www.WTT.com.