Irvine sports and recreation

I had the honor yesterday of representing the City of Irvine in ceremonies welcoming the Orange County Blues Football Club to its new home at UC Irvine’s Anteater Stadium.

Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team plays in the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. Its owner is Ali Mansouri and its manager is soccer great Daryuosh Yazdani.

Irvine — a thriving young city that loves soccer and is attracting a growing population from all over the world — is the perfect location for this dynamic young soccer club, full of talented players from around the globe.

Here is what I said:

OC Blues, Melissa Fox, melissafoxblog.com, Melissa Fox for Irvine

Melissa Fox presenting City of Irvine Certificate of Recognition to OC Blues owner Ali Mansouri

“On behalf of the City of Irvine and the Irvine City Council, I would like to enthusiastically welcome the Orange County Blues Football Club to Irvine. We are thrilled to have you!

Many professional players have come from Orange County and Irvine is excited to host this new era in Southern California soccer.

Like many others here, I grew up playing AYSO soccer and we are so pleased to have a new professional team of our own to root for!

We appreciate the business and revenue you bring to our community, the sportsmanship and skill you display on the field, and the opportunity your organization provides to host a professional sports franchise.

We look forward to cheering your effort on the pitch, tonight and every night you play.

Congratulations!

Thank you!

And good luck!

Go OC Blues!”

The Orange County Blues went on to crush the Harrisburg City Islanders in a 4-1 victory in front of more than 600 happy fans.

For tickets future games, call (714) 738-8011, email seats@bluessoccerclub.com or visit www.ocbluesfc.com. If you can’t make it to the game, you can watch the live stream online, via the OC Blues FC’s official YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/OCBluesFC.

The next home game is on Sunday, April 27, 2014, at 4:00 PM versus LA Galaxy II at UCI’s Anteater Stadium, 4000 Mesa Road, Irvine CA 92617.

Tickets are only $15.

Go OC Blues!

Congratulations to us – the City of Irvine – for being selected as America’s “Best-Run City”!

Among the key factors cited by the online financial news and opinion publication 24/7 Wall St. in selecting Irvine as the best-run among America’s 100 most populous cities in its annual ranking of the “Best and Worst Run Cities in America,” are our high level of education, our high median income, our high home values, and our outstanding public safety record.

Here is what 24/7 Wall St. had to say:

1. Irvine, California
Population: 230,000 (86th largest)
Credit rating: not rated
Violent crime per 100,000: 51 (the lowest)
2012 Unemployment rate: 5.7% (tied-10th lowest)

Irvine has a very well-educated population. Last year, 97% of Irvine adults had at least a high school diploma, and more than two-thirds had at least a bachelor’s degree. The city is home of the University of California, Irvine, which is the top local employer. The heavy concentration of well-educated adults has also led to higher incomes. Irvine’s median household income was around $96,000 last year, exceeding that of nearly every other large city. The typical Irvine home cost about $630,400 last year, more than any other large U.S. city except San Francisco. The city was also one of the safest in the nation, with only 51 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

While this is the first year that Irvine has been rated first in the 24/7 Wall St. rankings, Irvine was ranked third last year and second two years ago, demonstrating that Irvine’s success is the result of our long-term commitment to careful planning and our faithfulness to Irvine’s traditional long-range vision of promoting both economic growth and high quality-of-life.

In addition to the factors listed by 24/7 Wall St. as leading to Irvine’s number one ranking as the best-run city in America, I would add Irvine’s long-standing commitment to open spaces, parks, and bicycle paths; our support for the arts, such as the Irvine Barclay Theatre; our support for youth sports and recreation; our great cultural diversity; our services to seniors; our commitment to green technology and protecting our environment; our dynamic and thriving small business community; our dedicated and conscientious city employees and staff; our dedicated parents and community volunteers; our tradition of civic pride and civic engagement; and – of course – all the warm and friendly people who truly make Irvine the best city in America.