You’ve probably seen at least one of the posters by now: a sun-splash of orange and gold with a stylized figure in the center and funky lettering to suggest a 1970’s-era concert in the park or perhaps a traveling carnival that is coming to town. On closer inspection one discovers the figure is really a woman kicking a soccer ball, and the show is actually opening day for the defending W-League champion Pali Blues Soccer Club. On May 9, as the poster emphatically declares, Blues fans are invited to bring their own ball and attempt to set a world record for most people in one stadium juggling soccer balls at the same time. The poster–and the record attempt–are the brainchild of new Pali Blues General Manager Jason Lemire. “In hindsight I probably should have done a better job explaining exactly what I mean by ‘juggling,'” Lemire says. “People keep asking me about that.” Though the Pali Blues enjoyed an enormously successful inaugural season in 2008, both on the field and in the stands, Lemire feels there were far too many in the community who had no idea there was a championship team right in their backyard. “The first question I ask everybody is ‘Have you heard of my team?'” Lemire says. “Then, when they say ‘No’ I say ‘Great, that’s why they hired me.'” Lemire believes that for the Pali Blues to establish themselves as a true community destination, games need to become all-inclusive, family-friendly experiences. Since most games kick off at or around dinnertime, one of the first things Lemire set out to do was bring in more food venders. Joining Pali Pizza, this year will be local eateries Fiesta Feast and Maui Wowi. Of course, Lemire has more in mind than just food. “I’m looking for a marching band,” he says. “A marching band and maybe a dance team. And for pre-game there is a guy I saw down at the Home Depot Center a few weeks ago who has trained his dogs to play soccer. Absolutely fantastic. We’re hopefully getting him up here for opening day, too. The point is to make every game an event, to make every game memorable.” Then of course, there’s the soccer. Though he had played and coached for years, Lemire began working fulltime in soccer in 2004 in sales for D.C. United of Major League Soccer. From there he moved to Los Angeles, working first on the soccer film “The Game of Their Lives,” then for the L.A. Galaxy, where eventually he met Pali Blues co-founder Ali Mansouri. Lemire also got to know Mansouri playing against him in the Westside’s competitive Olympic League. “I’m a goalkeeper, and Ali’s teams would always beat me seven or eight to nothing, even if I had 30 saves,” Lemire recalls. “Still, no matter what the score I would keep joking and running my mouth. I think he really got a kick out of that.” Working for the Pali Blues has also given Jason a chance to work with fellow NJ native Charlie Naimo. “Charlie is like a maestro,’ he says. “There just aren’t that many people in the world who are that good at what they do.” What Naimo does, better than just about anybody, is build, train and manage championship teams. “You look at the talent that Charlie is bringing in this year–Olympians, NCAA national champions–and you cannot help but want to fill the stadium for them,” Lemire says. “We are going to be an exciting team, an offensive-minded team. Kids will leave our games wanting to go home and practice the moves they saw on the field that night.” It is that connection between players and young fans that Lemire believes in most passionately. “First and foremost the Pali Blues are here to inspire the young people of this community,” he says. “Inspire them with their skill and determination, inspire them with their teamwork and character, inspire them with a smile and an autograph after the game.” Lemire believes that in a world crying out for positive role models’particularly positive female role models’the Pali Blues are a unique opportunity for Palisades families and the rest of Los Angeles to embrace. “Parking is free, the food is good, the tickets are affordable and our players are literally among the best in the world,” he concludes. “If I wasn’t the GM I would be buying season tickets myself.” To learn more about season tickets and the opening day record attempt fans can visit www.bluessoccerclub.com or email Lemire at jason@bluessoccerclub.com.
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