Maryland’s Own Elite Tournaments expands to the West Coast

Congratulations Elite Tournaments and NSCAA on your continued growth! Below is the announcement from Elite Tournaments. Any questions should be directed to Megan Patterson, 301.703.8276 or mpatterson@elitetournaments.com .

Coast to Coast Expansion for Elite Tournaments and the NSCAA

TWO MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE SOCCER COMMUNITY ANNOUNCE THEIR LATEST PLANS CREATING A NATION WIDE EVENT PRESENCE

Mount Airy, MD -

Elite Tournaments announced today the next step in its ground breaking partnership with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA.) The NSCAA College Showcase- Northwest event will be the fourth showcase to debut and will take place July 27- 29, 2012 in Tacoma, Washington. The three year partnership between Elite Tournaments and the NSCAA was designed to stage 12 annual elite showcase events, across the country. This will expand Elite Tournaments’ current event market, while further extending the coaching educational opportunities of the NSCAA.

“The NSCAA is very excited to continue to expand its horizons with adding Tacoma to an outstanding slate of NSCAA Showcases,” Said Geoff VanDeusen, Director of Events for the NSCAA.

In keeping with the NSCAA’s development philosophy, the tournament will be structured as a showcase. These showcase events are committed to providing the best educational experience possible, for both players and coaches alike. One coach from each team will receive a complimentary NSCAA membership, as well as the opportunity to participate in a unique coaching educational session. The NSCAA and Elite Tournaments understand the importance of young athletes performing to the best of their abilities; therefor, teams will only play one match per day.

In addition to the showcase matches, players will be given the opportunity to participate in supplementary monitored training sessions, developed by the NSCAA to provide a broader perspective on personal abilities and attributes. These sessions will focus on everything from speed and agility modules, to individual skill building exercises. This is a unique opportunity provided by the showcase events, allowing college coaches to assess players in both game and practice situations.

The event partnership was born when Elite Tournaments met with Tacoma South Sound Sports, the local sports commission. Tacoma South Sound Sports was able to set up a relationship between the NSCAA College Showcase Series and Washington Premier FC, a local soccer club who will be hosting this event.

“Elite Tournaments is a well-run organization with a proven track record. With their partner, National Soccer Coaches Association of America, they promote and manage tournaments to maximize the exposure for upcoming soccer athletes,” Said Seth Spidahl, of Washington Premier FC. “As they expand their footprint to the Northwest, we are pleased that they selected Washington Premier’s soccer complex to host their Northwest College Showcase Event.”

The WPFC Field Complex sports 10 prime grass fields on 25 acres of land; they have also recently added a turf stadium field with lighting. Located at 5702 44th St. East in Puyallup, Washington, this complex is conveniently located 2.5 miles from Tacoma. This provides teams with a nearby airport and plenty of local activities. Throughout these events Elite Tournaments is only targeting top notch facilities in prime locations. The NSCAA College Showcase- Northwest will mark the first west coast event for Elite Tournaments.

“The NSCAA Showcase- Northwest represents a milestone for the NSCAA College Showcase Series and Elite Tournaments, as it provides both entities with a coast to coast presence,” Said Matthew Libber, VP of Operations and Business Development. “This event is a culmination of our expansion efforts to bring top quality events and our brand to the entire US.”

This tournament is open to both boys and girls teams ages U15 to U19. The tournament is currently sanctioned as an unrestricted event open to US Youth Soccer and US Club Soccer teams and, pending International approval from the U.S. Soccer Federation, International teams are also welcome. All teams will receive a three game guarantee and are welcome to apply today.

About Elite Tournaments

Founded in 2000 as a small family business, Elite Tournaments (www.elitetournaments.com) has organized more than 150 youth soccer events for nine different clubs, colleges and international and professional organizations. The company oversees more than 50 tournaments a year across the United States. Elite Tournaments’ staff includes former high school and college coaches, referees and standout players whose own experiences inform the company’s professional approach to event management. Elite Tournaments prides itself on organization and communication with tournament stakeholders in order to create successful events and lasting relationships.

About the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)

Based in Kansas City, Kan., the NSCAA is the largest soccer coaches’ organization in the world. Since its founding in 1941, it has grown to include more than 30,000 members who coach both genders at all levels of the sport. In addition to a national rankings program for colleges and high schools, NSCAA offers an extensive recognition program that presents nearly 10,000 individual awards every year. It fulfills its mission of coaching education through a nationwide program of clinics and week‐long courses, teaching more than 6,000 soccer coaches each year

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Maryland SoccerPlex, Ludwig Field Earn National Accolades

The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) recently announced the winners of their 2011 “Field of the Year” award, and the state of Maryland has two winners: University of Maryland’s Ludwig Field and the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown!  Both facilities won in the soccer category, Ludwig Field for “College and University” and the SoccerPlex for “Schools and Parks”.

Feasting on the Competition over the Thanksgiving Holiday

While many of us were spending time gobbling up Thanksgiving leftovers or camping out for Black Friday deals this past weekend, others were busy competing in some big time tournaments around Maryland.  We talked about the NATT Teams Championship in Baltimore last week, but there were plenty of other events going on in Maryland. These athletes were busy devouring their competition instead of turkey.

International Spotlight Shines on Prince George’s County

Last week, Prince George’s County took center stage in the sports world as it hosted two international sporting events: the Citi Open and the World Football Challenge.  Beginning on July 23, the Tennis Center at College Park hosted the inaugural Citi Open, a professional women’s tennis tournament.  The Citi Open is part of the Women’s Tennis Association’s summer schedule.  It was one of only nine tournaments held stateside and one of only three WTA international-level events held in the USA.

Capital Region Round-Up

Maryland has hosted some pretty cool events recently, and we’ve talked about some of them already, like Monster Jam and the U.S. Open Championships.   This past weekend the Capital Region hosted a handful of significant sporting events.  One of the busiest venues was the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Montgomery County.

Weekend Wrap Up: Columbia Invitational

Another successful year of the Columbia Invitational Soccer Tournament wrapped up in and around Columbia yesterday.  Thousands of soccer players and their families invaded the friendly confines of Howard County this past weekend for one of the premier soccer tournaments in the country put on by Maryland’s own Elite Tournaments.  The tournament hosted 462 teams from 18 different states and Canada over the course of the four-day tournament, and OSM stopped by to check out the games and festivities.