AYSO Kicks Off New and Improved Website

2Advanced Studios Scores with American Youth Soccer Organizations National Website Introducing Content Management

HAWTHORNE and ALISO VIEJO, CA (PRWEB) January 29, 2004- The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), a nationwide non-profit organization based in Hawthorne, Calif. that develops and delivers quality youth soccer programs, has officially launched their new website, designed and developed by renowned new media agency 2Advanced Studios. The Aliso Viejo, Calif. based studio developed a greatly enhanced user experience consistent with AYSO branding, while simultaneously bolstering AYSOs website management efficiency through a full implementation of Microsofts Content Management Server.

In 1998, AYSO began the Millennium Project to completely overhaul AYSO systems and business processes. The website redesign was a part of this project to replace outdated systems and exploit advances in technology to reduce costs and provide better services to our members," said Cherie Tucker, National Executive Director of AYSO. When our previous vendor failed to deliver, we turned to 2Advanced Studios in desperate need of a quick turnaround on the redesign of our site and we are proud to say that they delivered not only an appealing design, but creative solutions to improve the usability of our site, all within our deadline."

The AYSO website is the informational hub for the organizations 50,000 teams and over 650,000 youth players. AYSO worked with 2Advanced Studios to improve its existing HTML website with the strategic use of Flash technology to re-organize content and create a completely new architecture that is fundamentally more secure and consistent throughout. 2Advanced was tasked with reworking several hundred pages worth of content that AYSO houses on their site and consolidating materials to enhance visitor usability. 2Advanceds development team also created an interactive regional locator and zip code search so the visitors can quickly locate information for their region. Also part of the project was the redesign and development of connectivity to eAYSO, AYSOs internal database membership side of the site.

We were very excited to take on this very large project with AYSO and to offer our expertise in revamping their website," said Eric Jordan, President and Chief Creative Officer of 2Advanced Studios. Our Creative team set out to appeal to parents and children with a vibrant and refreshing style. It was 2advanced Studio's intention to give AYSO a fresh look, more in line with their target audience."

One major upgrade to the new AYSO site is the integration of Microsoft Content Management Server (MCMS) that now allows AYSO employees to make updates to the majority of the sites pages without additional third party costs. 2Advanced also designed a custom approval queue workflow process for publishing content and documents within MCMS in an effort to standardize and automate content delivery to the website. Other improvements included the addition of a banner ad management system for sponsors and the creation of website templates for AYSOs regions to give regional directors the resource of a Wizard-style" process to create individual sites, while maintaining uniformity.

The new design is a huge improvement over what we had before," said Sean Hilferty, Creative Services Manager, AYSO. The incorporation of Flash elements helps to convey the fun and excitement of youth soccer and the graphics are far more polished. Most important, though, the content is presented in a clearly organized fashion and we have the capability to add channels as necessary without messing up the new structure, which was a problem in the past. The biggest benefit is the content management system -- a feature I've wanted to incorporate for about two and a half years but didn't have the staff or expertise to make happen."

2Advanceds subsidiary, 2advanced.net, a hosting provider of flexible and managed hosting solutions, is also hosting the new website with a dedicated multi- server environment on their superior next generation network platform. AYSOs recent move from Earthlink is just one more testament to high volume clients looking for the personal level of service afforded through a one-stop provider and under the trusted 2Advanced name.

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) was established in the Los Angeles area in 1964. Their mission is to provide quality youth soccer programs where everyone builds positive character through participation in a fun, family-oriented soccer environment. To date, the organization services over 650,000 boys and girls ages four to 18 and supported by 250,000 volunteer coaches, referees and administrators in 46 states. AYSO play is organized by geographic boundaries. There are 1,023 regions within 104 areas which are grouped into 14 designated sections. AYSOs National Support and Training Center in Hawthorne, CA employs 60 people who provide members with educational resources and support. For more information or to visit AYSOs newly redesigned website, please visit www.soccer.org.

### -

About AYSO

The American Youth Soccer Organization is a nationwide non-profit organization that was established in the Los Angeles area in 1964 with nine teams. Over the years, AYSO has created many valuable programs and concepts. Most notably, AYSO revolutionized youth sports with its "Everyone Plays" and "Balanced Teams" philosophies. In AYSO, each child who registers is guaranteed to play at least half of every game. To help create evenly matched games, all AYSO players are placed on new or "balanced" teams each year. Today, AYSO has more than 50,000 teams and more than 650,000 players. It also employs 60 people at its National Support and Training Center in Hawthorne, California.

About 2Advanced Studios, LLC.

Founded in 1999, 2Advanced Studios has quickly evolved into an award-winning new media agency with nearly 20 employees. World renowned for their creative talents in Macromedia Flash design, 2Advanced also offers a wide range of design and development services, including Interactive Design, Development and Backend Solutions, Broadcast Video, 3D Graphics, Multimedia, Identity and Audio Production. In the past year alone, 2Advanced has received significant recognition in more than 30 different magazine articles, contributed to the writing of eight design-related books and was awarded over 20 different design awards for client websites. Located in Aliso Viejo, California, the 2Advanced team constantly strives to push the creative boundaries of technology to deliver high impact new media solutions that create a lasting impression. For more information, visit www.2advanced.com.

About 2advanced.net

2advanced.net, located in Aliso Viejo, California offers flexible hosting solutions that offer peace of mind. Built from the latest in high-speed data communications technologies and reliable IBM server class systems, the 2advanced.net Data Center is a state-of-the-art, 6,750 sq. foot facility located on premises with a 24x7 manned Network Operations Center. Hosting packages include Shared, Dedicated and Virtual Private Servers on Windows and Linux platforms, with a wide range of add-on services for a customized solution. For additional information, please visit www.2advanced.net.