John Madden And Steve Mariucci Host 11th Annual "Battle Of The Bay" Celebrity Bocce Ball Tournament

San Francisco, CA – April 1, 2009 -Former Oakland Raiders Head Coach and NBC Sunday Night Football NFL broadcaster John Madden and former San Francisco 49ers Head Coach, University of California – Berkeley Head Coach and current NFL Network broadcaster Steve Mariucci will be co-hosting the 11th Annual “Battle of the Bay” Celebrity Bocce Ball Tournament at the beautiful Campo di Bocce facility in Livermore, California on Wednesday, June 3, 2009.

The tournament began in 1999 when Steve Mariucci was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and wanted to create a unique celebrity charity tournament with flare that would give back to the Bay Area community. The tournament has grown in reputation and popularity amongst locals through the years. Ten years later, the tournament has changed names to incorporate the entire Bay Area and hence changed names to the “Battle of the Bay”.

This year’s tournament has changed in format from years past in order to bring out the competitive spirit for a good cause. A limited 32 teams will participate in a playoff system and the top 8 teams will play for $100,000 in prize money that will be awarded to their specific designated charity. Over a quarter million dollars in total will be donated to Bay Area charities from this event and up to 700 people will be in attendance to enjoy the tournament and dinner auction at Campo di Bocce.

Over the past decade, more than $3 million dollars has been raised for local Bay Area charities, such as The Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics and Kaleidoscope to name a few. The tournament is a unique event that has brought famous athletes, celebrities, dignitaries and business leaders together to enjoy an old world game in a venue dedicated to the sport of Bocce. All Bay Area professional sports teams and Fortune 500 companies, along with several local Universities and Colleges will be invited to participate in the tournament.

TBA Global, Inc., a top-tier Bay Area Event Planning, Destination Management and Production Company will be handling the marketing, public relations and logistics of the event.

About Campo di Bocce
Campo di Bocce (www.campodibocce.com) of Livermore is a family-owned Italian restaurant and United States Bocce Federation affiliated Bocce Club located in the beautiful Livermore Valley Wine Country. Originating in Los Gatos in February 1997, the second location (Livermore, CA) location opened its doors June 2006. Playing host to the 2007 and 2009 United States Bocce Federation Championships and the 2006 North American Championships, Campo di Bocce of Livermore has gained international recognition as a destination facility for bocce players across the globe; all the while, making bocce accessible to people of all ability levels. Truly the ultimate experience in dining and recreation, Campo di Bocce of Livermore offers 8 World Class, State-of-the-Art bocce courts, traditional Italian cuisine, a superb local wine list and friendly atmosphere of casual elegance. Escape to Italy in your own backyard – with dining indoors in any one of our spacious dining areas or outdoors with views of surrounding vineyards, Campo di Bocce of Livermore truly is an escape from the norm.

About TBA GLOBAL
Founded in 1994, TBA Global (www.tbaglobal.com) is a privately-held agency that creates nontraditional marketing and communications programs, events and meetings for high-profile businesses and associations worldwide. TBA Global’s award-winning teams create, produce and execute unique and compelling solutions that grow clients’ business by creating, connecting, and optimizing their marketing and communications investments to key internal and external audiences. TBA Global is ranked in the top 100 U.S. marketing organizations and among the Top 50 Sales Promotion Agencies by Advertising Age magazine (May 5, 2008). TBA Global has 18 offices in North America and the U.K.