30 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JULY 9, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Photo courtesy of QBFC
Queensboro FC hires Josep Gombau as fi rst-ever manager
BY JOE PANTORNO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Queensboro FC, the fi rst-ever professional
7-Eleven cancels Free Slurpee Day due to COVID-19
BY FANNI FRANKL
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven, held
annually on July 11, has been canceled
due to coronavirus. Th is company said it
would be diffi cult to maintain social distancing
protocols with the crowds that
turn out for the popular event.
“For nearly two decades, July 11 has
been the busiest day of the year for
7-Eleven stores as millions of customers
visit us to kick off summer with their
favorite frozen drink,” said Marissa Jarratt,
the company’s chief marketing
offi cer. “But this year, we
have to make changes
for the greater good.”
Some of the busiest
7-Elevens in the nation
are on Long Island and
the region’s stores also sell
more coff ee than any other
7-Elevens in the country,
according to the company.
Instead of in-store
giveaways, the convenience
store
plans to donate 1
million meals to Feeding
America, the largest
domestic hunger-relief organization
in the country.
“Gathering 9 million of our
closest friends in stores on one
day just didn’t feel right,” Jarratt
said. “But I am heartened that
we now have the opportunity
to help the communities and
neighborhoods that have been
the lifeline of our business
since 1927.”
Th e chain also stated
that they will still be giving
away a free Slurpee drink coupon
through their 7-Eleven loyalty rewards
app that can be redeemable throughout
the month.
7-Eleven, like many other retailers, has
enhanced its standards and procedures
for hygiene, hand washing, sanitation,
food handling and preparation in stores,
including increased frequency of cleaning
high-touch surfaces.
All store associates are encouraged to
wear masks and gloves when serving customers.
Customers now have access to
disposable gloves, tissues and sanitizer
Photo by Lauren Siegert stations while shopping in stores.
soccer team to play in Queens slated
to start play in 2022 in the United
Soccer League (USL), announced the
hiring of their head coach and sporting
director, Josep Gombau, on Monday
morning.
Nicknamed QBFC, the team poised to
play in the United States’ second tier
of soccer — just beneath Major League
Soccer (MLS) — and is owned by a group
headed by Spanish soccer legend, 2010
World Cup winner, and former NYCFC
(MLS), Barcelona, Valencia and Atletico
Madrid striker David Villa.
Th ey were originally set to begin play
next year but decided to push its inaugural
campaign back one season to help the
area heal from the COVID-19 pandemic,
fully establish its youth academy as a local
talent pipeline to the senior team, and to
fi nalize its stadium plans.
“New York is a very special place for me
and my family,” Gombau said in a statement.
“Th e city is in a unique moment
right now, and I am looking forward to
contributing to its renewal and revitalization
through the lens of sport, community
and grassroots eff orts. I am committed
to bringing together a diverse mix
of homegrown and international players
to form the fi rst-ever professional soccer
team that the borough of Queens can call
its own. Our attacking style of play will
undoubtedly bring global recognition and
fan excitement — while helping continue
to grow the game in America.”
Queens’ fi rst pro club is getting a well-traveled
manager as its leader in Gombau. Th e
44-year-old has served in professional soccer
across 24 years and four continents,
working with some of the world’s largest
teams and on its largest stages.
Rising through the Spanish soccer
ranks, Gombau was hired by Barcelona
— arguably one of the largest clubs on the
planet — as its academy’s head coach. He
helped establish FCB Escola, Barcelona’s
fl agship soccer school, worldwide and
became a technical director for its program
in Dubai.
In 2009, he headed over to Hong Kong
where he became the head coach of
Kitchee SC, winning a pair of league titles
in four seasons. He headed to Australia
in 2013 to take over Adelaide United of
the A-League — the country’s top-fl ight
league — and won an Australian Cup with
the club. During that time, he also served
as the manager of the Australian national
team’s U-23 side and was an assistant
coach for the senior national team that
went to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Gombau lived in Queens from 2015-
2016 and worked as a technical director
for Villa’s DV7 Soccer Academy.
“I have followed Josep’s career for a very
long time, and had the opportunity to
work with him to create the methodology
of my DV7 Soccer Academies globally,
as well as launch my very fi rst academy
in New York,” Villa said. “He is the
perfect choice for Queensboro FC and I
am happy to welcome him back to New
York. Together, we will oversee all sporting
aspects of the club, laying the groundwork
for us to succeed at the highest level
and be recognized all over the world. For
certain, a coach of this caliber will help
take soccer in this country to a new level.”
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