From Fredericksburg Football Club
This year, Fredericksburg FC will host its first St. Patrick’s Day tournament on March 17-18 at FFC Park with the focus being on the U9-U15 boys and girls age groups.
For a first-year tournament, the St. Patrick’s Day Invitational has already been a success in terms of interest with 70+ teams already registered and 61 already accepted for the early registration period. Most have come from Virginia and Maryland, with teams traveling from as far as Michigan.
FFC Technical Director of Coaching, Mayowa Owolabi said he has high hopes for the tournament to max out at 75 teams, which will put FFC Park’s Fields at max capacity.
“I think for any event, the first year is always the biggest. If it’s successful now you have to maintain that and look to develop new ideas to continue to innovate. This will provide a solid start to then grow next year,” Owolabi said. ”If we can max out teams, develop good brackets, stay on schedule, and create a fun and competitive environment, we will have checked a lot of boxes for teams attending . . . and I for sure will be a happy Technical Director/Tournament Director if we can do that.”
All games will be played at FFC Park on its beautifully maintained Bermuda grass fields, which Owolabi said has been a big draw for teams he’s spoken with directly so far.
Of course quality playing surfaces are high on any team’s list when looking for tournaments to attend, but so is having everything at one location.
A lot of clubs have multiple teams that are coached by the same coach, but tournaments can’t always accommodate schedule requests that would allow those coaches to attend each of their teams’ games. The Invitational won’t have that problem.
“Having all games here at FFC Park makes it a breeze to move from field to field between games,” Owolabi said, adding that teams have also been pleased to find out who they are playing. “In addition to the field and facility, groups are excited to see what teams will participate. Our divisions have also been broken down very well, so matches will be competitive and clubs will get exposed to playing teams they might not get to play throughout the year in league play.”
FFC has had tremendous success with the Scrimmage Fests it hosts during the Spring and Fall seasons, so aspects of those events will also be used to add to the tournament experience on and off the field.
Player activities, vendors, food and customizable T-shirts are just some of the events already planned.
Teams will also be recognized for their success at the tournament with a team trophy and medals going to each divisions’ champion and runner-up.
All in all, the goal is to provide another event on the soccer calendar that will help participating teams and players continue to improve their skills and develop.
Owolabi closed by saying, “Quality competition, central location in the state with a facility to host the entire event and an atmosphere that shows the kids and families are enjoying themselves all should provide for a very successful tournament.”
The final deadline to apply for the tournament is Saturday, Feb. 24, with pricing ranging between $575-$675.
