BIRMINGHAM, Alabama

-

The

team will take on the

of the

(NASL) in an exhibition soccer match on Friday, March 21, at 7 p.m.

The contest on West Campus Field on the UAB campus is sponsored by the Birmingham Hammers, whose aim is to bring a professional soccer team to Birmingham.



"Events like this will allow us to show leagues and investors that we can be a great place for professional soccer to find a home," Hammers President Morgan Copes said in a press release.

The game will feature the Blazer team that finished its 2013 season with a 12-5-1 overall record. The Atlanta Silverbacks play in the NASL, regarded as the second tier of professional soccer in the United States.

Atlanta finished the 2013 season losing to the New York Cosmos in the NASL Soccer Bowl, which is the league's annual championship match. The Silverbacks are coached by American soccer legend Eric Wynalda.

Funds raised at the game will go to the Hammers' efforts to bring professional soccer to the city of Birmingham and increase soccer's popularity in the area. Ticket prices and how they can be purchased will be released as the date of the match approaches.

The Birmingham Hammers were founded in 2013 by Copes, John Killian and Phil Amthor. They have 2,841 "likes" on their Facebook page.

For more information about the organization, visit www.birminghamhammers.com.

