6 December 2006
FSI Expands Market Presence and Functionality with Acquisition of TicketsXchange

First Sports International acquires TicketsXchange software, clients and staff

London, England (6 December 2006)…First Sports International (FSI), the leading provider of sports management solutions worldwide, announces the creation of First Sports Tickets. The entity was created by the acquisition of TicketsXchange, a leading U.S.-based ticketing software company. TicketsXchange has led the marketplace in delivering the newest generation of hosted ticketing solutions designed to streamline paper and electronic ticketing while capturing important sales information for future marketing and revenue generation.

FSI's goal in creating First Sport Tickets was to fill a void in the ticketing market that has left users without the ability to fully capture ticketing information in a reliable and useable format. The potential revenue lost from an organization's inability to secure and decipher ticketing data is an unexploited market that has few current solution providers. FSI's interest in acquiring TicketsXchange to serve as the core of First Sports Tickets stemmed from their strong foothold in the emerging web-based and digital ticketing marketplace, their solution's rich commerce, membership and venue access functionality and their solid client base.

"TicketsXchange's solution, coupled with FSI's strong domain expertise and powerful sports management solution, will offer a unique product solution set for our existing customers in the U.S. and around the world. This product will be highly valuable for sports and entertainment organizations to help them drive more revenue from previously lost or misused data," said David Simmons, FSI Chairman. "This continues the growth in functionality and service that we provide to our clients."

The addition of 21 new clients to the First Sports family broadens their customer base both geographically and organizationally. FSI now adds the University of Mississippi, Georgia State University and the College of Charleston among other universities' athletic and performing arts departments to its current list of some of the most prestigious and powerful sports organizations in the world, including The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club for The Championships, Wimbledon; The Football Association; Rugby Football Union; International Paralympic Committee; Australian Football Association; Wembley National Stadium; Irish Football Association and many more.

"As part of FSI, First Sports Tickets' top priority will be to continue to serve our current clients," said Steve McDavid, TicketsXchange Founder and President. "I'm excited about the opportunities that our team and clients will realize from being a part of FSI. The addition of FSI's rich relationship management functionality along with their experience in serving leading sports organizations around the world will provide our clients with improved usability and deliverables."

Along with the members of the TicketsXchange staff, FSI has welcomed Marty Schueren, an experienced ticketing expert, to lead the new First Sports Tickets team. Marty's career in ticketing includes roles with multiple Olympic organizing committees, beginning in Atlanta in 1996. He then served as the Director of Tickets for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and as a consultant to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. In addition to U.S. professional and college sports ticketing positions he most recently served as a ticketing consultant to iSe Hospitality, the exclusive provider of premium ticket sales and hospitality for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

"First Sports has always put a high priority on domain expertise as part of its unique client support. Not only is the software state-of-the-art but the people who work with clients have hands-on sports experience," said Schueren, First Sports Tickets President. "Part of our value proposition is to not only deliver the software but to use our expertise to help our clients maximize its usage to build brand loyalty and generate new revenue streams."

The FSI acquisition reflects the industry's trend of sports organizations and events searching for solutions that are designed to meet their organizational structure and demands. Unlike mainstream businesses that typically focus on a single target audience, sports and events organizations serve their members and patrons in a variety of roles; requiring robust relationship management tools and functionality to streamline activities and discover revenue opportunities. By acquiring TicketsXchange, FSI will be able to deliver advanced tools and functionalities that support a sports organization's complex infrastructure and ticketing requirements.

First Sports Tickets is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Sports International and will be headquarter in Atlanta, Georgia. The current offices of First Sports International in London, Sydney and Atlanta, will now expand to include an office in Oxford, Mississippi home of the, University of Mississippi, "Ole Miss."

About First Sports International
First Sports International (FSI) is the leading provider of full-service software and business solutions to many of the world's top sporting organizations and events. The FSI sports solution improves operating efficiencies and participant relations while enhancing revenue opportunities. Built upon a core repository of information for all individuals associated with an NGB or event, the solution manages the administration of participants, fans, volunteers and ticket buyers as well as the execution of player registration, membership and fan programs, accreditation and premium seating/hospitality sales systems. Visit www.first-sports.com to learn more or call 404.504.6213

About TicketsXchange
TicketsXchange is a comprehensive ticketing, fund development and e-commerce platform for athletic departments, sports organizations and performing arts centers. The TXC Enterprise System allows a ticket office to administer all aspects of a ticket office from any computer that has an internet connection. In addition to traditional paper functions, TicketsXchange offers integrated modules for online box office transactions, major gift and donor management, e-ticket, print-at-home and scanning technology, camp and conference registration, and e-commerce tools for traditional and auction sales. For more information on TicketsXchange, please visit www.ticketsXchange.com or call 662.236.9199.

November 2006
International Paralympic Committee Joins FSI List of Clients

First Sports solution to provide contact management tools to help the IPC in their continued growth and success.

London, England (28 November 2006)…First Sports International (FSI), the leading provider of sports management solutions worldwide, is pleased to announce the addition of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to its growing client base. The IPC represents FSI's foothold in working with international confederations that support multiple national committees and events located around the world.

As the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement, the IPC organises the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for 13 sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

On behalf of the IPC, FSI embarked on a survey of its current contact management tools, usage and needs. Based upon those reviews and meetings with IPC staff, FSI proposed a solution to meet the IPC's priorities and goals.

Upon implementation, the First Sports solution will support the IPC's contact database with its full service contact management functionality. By capturing, storing and securing all pertinent content information, the First Sports solution will provide the IPC with a simple, user-friendly system to manage their members' data.

"The implementation of the First Sports solution will be a great help for our communication programmes," said Xavier Gonzalez, IPC CEO. "The swift and accurate dissemination of information to members and supporters is critical to our success and the First Sports solution will give us the ability to manage those programs efficiently."

The IPC's overall objective for the new solution is to assist the IPC in providing quality services to all individuals and organisations involved in the Paralympic Movement.

"By providing the IPC with a solution that will support their future endeavours, we are fulfilling our goal to work with our clients as a strategic partner," said Shaun Lucas, FSI Managing Director.

About First Sports International (FSI)
First Sports International (FSI) is the leading provider of full-service software and business solutions to many of the world's top sporting organisations and events. The FSI sports solution improves operating efficiencies and participant relations while enhancing revenue opportunities. Built upon a core repository of information for all individuals associated with an NGB or event, the solution manages the administration of participants, fans, volunteers and ticket buyers as well as the execution of player registration, membership and fan programs, accreditation and premium seating/hospitality sales systems. Visit www.first-sports.com to learn more or call +44 (0) 1932 268000 or +1 678-595-8878.

About IPC
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organises the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for 13 sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organisation formed and run by 162 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.

Archived Releases - 2005
First Sports International launches worldwide operations