HARRISON –
After a two-year lull, the Red Bull Arena will once again host a soccer doubleheader, matching up longtime archrivals Harrison and Kearny, on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The Blue Tide will be hoping to avenge the Kardinals’ sweep of the boys’ and girls’ games played in 2011 at the Arena.
The Kardinals girls’ squad of Kearny High School will face off against the Blue Tide girls’ team of Harrison High School on the Arena pitch, starting at noon.
That game will be followed, at 2 p.m., with the Kardinals boys’ group taking on the Blue Tide boys’ crew.
James Doran, Harrison school district’s director of personnel, and Kearny High Athletic Director John Millar each said that the Red Bull organization has confirmed it has agreed to play host to the event this year.
“We’d certainly like to make this an annual thing [at the Harrison-based Arena],” Doran said.
Doran said the Red Bull organization will be taping the games but no decision has yet been made as to whether it will go out on a live feed to local cable. Each school district will be provided a copy of the tape “which we will post on our website,” he added.
The games will count as part of each team’s regular season schedule, he added.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students.
In Harrison, tickets may be secured through the superintendent’s office or at the high school and, in Kearny, tickets are available at the high school athletic office. Or, patrons can buy tickets on game day at the Arena on Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. across from the Harrison PATH station.
Two years ago, the Red Bulls provided nominal cash donations to both schools but for this year’s event, no contribution is anticipated, according to Millar. “It’s a big expense just to open the stadium,” he noted.
– Ron Leir
