ST. LOUIS---The NCAA, in conjunction with the Missouri Valley Conference and the St. Louis Organizing Committee (SLOC), unveiled the 2009 NCAA Women’s Final Four® logo today at the Sheraton City Center Hotel in downtown St. Louis during the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Media Day luncheon.

The 2009 Women’s Final Four logo features St. Louis’ Gateway Arch. The primary colors are blue, red and gray.

“The Missouri Valley Conference and our local partners have had a long successful involvement hosting NCAA basketball events in St. Louis, and it is our goal to continually improve our overall management and presentation, taking direction from the NCAA staff,” said Doug Elgin, commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference. “For St. Louis to once more be a national focus by hosting the 2009 Women’s Final Four is a great honor.”

The Missouri Valley Conference and the SLOC are the hosts for the 2009 Women’s Final Four which will be played on April 5 and 7 at the Scottrade Center. The Center will be set for a seating capacity of approximately 21,000. An estimated 7,000 of those seats will be allocated to the general public through the random computerized drawing administered by the NCAA national office.

“Hosting the NCAA Women's Final Four is an amazing opportunity for the St. Louis region. It is one of the premier women’s sporting events in our country, and St. Louis is thrilled to partner with the NCAA and look forward to creating a memorable experience for all involved, especially the student-athletes,” said Missy Slay, executive director, 2009 Women’s Final Four Local Organizing Committee.

St. Louis has a long history of hosting NCAA championship events, and most recently hosted the 2005 NCAA Men’s Final Four® at the Edward Jones Dome. The last time that St. Louis played host to the Women’s Final Four came in 2001, with Notre Dame winning the national championship at the Savvis Center (now Scottrade Center). The state of Missouri has hosted the Women’s Final Four on two previous occasions, with Kemper Arena in Kansas City playing host to the event in 1998.

“We are excited that our championship will be returning to St. Louis in 2009, with the city having a rich history of hosting NCAA events,” said Judy Southard, senior associate director of athletics at Louisiana State University and chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. “The Women’s Final Four has grown to be a major happening with many ancillary events. Our hope is that when the games have concluded, that the citizens of the St. Louis area will feel the positive effects of hosting for years to come.”

The Women’s Final Four has sold out the last 16 years, including the upcoming 2008 Women’s Final Four, which will be played in Tampa, Florida at the St. Pete Times Forum on April 6 and 8.

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 380,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 49,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III.

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