"The Austin Aztex are officially open for business." That was the message delivered to a crowd of more than 200 people including fans, players, and special guests on last Friday at the official opening of the new Austin Aztex offices.

The Aztex, in conjunction with the Austin and Greater Austin Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, held a dual ribbon-cutting ceremony with owner and City Director Phil Rawlins and USL-First Division Coach Adrian Heath doing the honors.

- Aztex owner and president Phil Rawlins (left), Kay Rawlins, and Coach Adrian Heath cut the ribbon to "officially" open the Aztex offices -

In addition to the ribbon cutting, Heath handed out individual awards for the 2008 Premier Development League season, in which the team finished with a 10-5-1 record and won the Mid-South Division.

The individuals receiving top honors included:

Beto Papandrea - Defender of the Year
Miguel Gallardo - Goalkeeper of the Year
Wolfgang Suhnholz - Coach of the Year

"It's very exciting to receive this award," Gallardo said.

- Aztex coach Adrian Heath presents goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo with the 2008 Premier Development League Goalkeeper of the Year award -

"I'm really proud and honored to have been selected as the top goalkeeper in the PDL and I look forward to building on it in 2009." Gallardo has signed a contract to play for the Aztex First Division professional squad during their inaugural 2009 season.

The three awards were the most earned by any single PDL team in the 67-team league and were voted on by PDL head coaches and general managers.

The ceremony concluded with the Aztex unveiling the team's new logo/crest.

The redesign was a collaborative effort intended to transition the organisation from it first season in the PDL to the 2009 campaign, which will feature a full professional team competing in the USL-First Division against teams from around the nation including Miami, Portland, Montreal, and Atlanta.