SDFC, Club Tijuana announce five-year partnership for annual friendlies
Like all great stories, it started at a card table in Las Vegas.
President and owner of Club Tijuana Jorgealberto Hank told the tale. He had just sat down at blackjack table in the Wynn casino when he got a call telling him to meet with the Tom Penn, CEO San Diego’s new MLS team San Diego FC.
Penn happened to be in the same building so Hank left the table to meet him. The two spoke about the potential partnership between their two clubs which would go on to be the groundwork for their five-year partnership that includes annual friendly matches at Snapdragon Stadium.
“We are honored to partner with our neighbors at Club Tijuana to co-create a series of exciting matches and a cultural celebration of the unique binational communities of San Diego and Tijuana,” said SDFC CEO Tom Penn. “We are excited to compete intensely on the pitch and work together off the pitch to develop unifying initiatives and experiences that will help grow the game and make a positive impact on both sides of the border.”
The announcement came at a press conference at SDFC’s headquarters in Little Italy with representatives from both clubs. In attendance for SDFC was, Tom Penn and Vice-Chairman and Sycuan Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez. Representing Club Tijuana was president and owner Jorgealberto Hank.
“We believe that this alliance that we are making with the five games that we are going to have in the next five years is just the beginning of something very important that we can do between the two institutions,” said Hank. “We hope to learn from each other and help each other as much as we can and continue to grow."
When asked about the desired outcomes of the new relationship by SanDiego.futbol Penn listed “joint programs for the community, collaborations on player development and there could be crossborder commercial activity.”
“The fun part is we don’t know what (this partnership) is going to be. We’ll get our staffs together and figure this whole thing out,” Penn said.
The dates for the matches have not been announced. The matches themselves will be produced, promoted and presented by SDFC according to a press release from the club.
