May 1, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- On May 3, a group of 40 Evangel (Mo.) University representatives, including football players, coaches and their families, as well as other Evangel University personnel, will depart Springfield for a historic trip to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (BISH-kek, CUR-guh-stan). Evangel University is the first American football team to visit this part of the world and will use American football as a bridge between two cultures in order to build relationships with university students living in Kyrgyzstan. The group will return to Springfield on May 14.

Evangel assistant coach, Chad Gehring, is the trip coordinator and visited Kyrgyzstan in April of 2007. He conducted the country's first American football camp and donated football equipment to the Central Asian Association of American Football (CAAAF), setting the stage for this year's historic trip - the second by an Evangel football team. The EU football program also made history 17 years ago. In 1991, Evangel and Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.) traveled to China and played three games, which were the first ever played by any college football team in that country.

Kyrgyzstan is part of the former Soviet Union, but it is a developing nation with a culturally diverse population, inhabited by Russians and Kyrgyz, most of whom are Muslim.  The Evangel football team, however, has been granted a special opportunity to visit the country and participate in the inaugural President's Cup - International Football Tournament, which is sponsored by the CAAAF.

The tournament will be held on May 10,11, 12 and the games will be a first for the country. Evangel's football team will be the featured team and squads from Russia, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan will participate. Officials at Evangel University are hopeful that the trip will open doors for further development in the Central Euro-Asia region, such as student exchange programs and internship opportunities.

The Central Euro-Asia region is developing quickly and there is a strong interest in American football, as well as other aspects of the western world. While in Kyrgyzstan, the group from Evangel University will not only play football, but will also conduct football camps for local schools, participate in campus activities, and do maintenance work on the football facilities in Bishkek.

For further information, please contact Chad Gehring at 865-2815, Ext. 7351 or visit the Evangel Web site at www.evangel.edu.

This trip has been officially approved by the NAIA.