BUENA VISTA, Va.
–
The Southern
Virginia University Football team arrived on campus Friday, August
7, and began practices over the weekend. Head Coach DeLane
Fitzgerald and the SVU staff welcomed over 80 players to the
program for the 2009 season. This marks the strongest team,
numbers-wise, in the history of the program. And talent-wise,
Fitzgerald and the staff feel it could be the most talented team in
the program's short history.
"We have a fantastic group of newcomers that will combine with our
returners," said Fitzgerald. "This group will be young, but they
have a great amount of potential. We hope to work them hard and
create a team-first environment. We're excited about what this
season has to offer."
Practices began Saturday, Aug. 8, and will continue until Aug. 29.
Southern Virginia will open up that night against NCAA Division II
opponent Concord University. This game will mark the first time in
program history that the Knights will open up the season at home.
The game will be held at Parry McCluer High School, and starts at
6:00 P.M.
"I'm really looking forward to this season and what we can
become," said Fitzgerald. "This first game will be a great contest
as both teams have first-year coaches. We are working to have a
team that SVU can be proud of, and we hope that we get great
support from students, faculty, administrators and even the casual
fan from around the area. This should be a great season."