The Open Cup

 

 
The Open Cup signs 3 year agreement with the Decatur Parks and Recreation and the Decatur/Morgan County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau with the first tournament held in April 2012.  Decatur beat out potential host locations in Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.  Building on the success of past tournaments such as the President’s Cup and the reputation of the Jack Allen Recreational Complex, over 200 teams will be competing in the Open Cup.  The Open Cup is a youth soccer tournament open to to youth boys and girls teams in the Under 9 to Under 19 categories.   
 
Professional soccer clubs from El Salvador and Mexico will be attending the tournament including CF Monterrey Rayados.  CF Monterrey Rayados of Mexico is the current CONCACAF Champions League winners as the best professional club in North America.  They recently competed in the the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup which was won by FC Barcelona of Spain.  CF Monterrey Rayados has several youth national team players on the youth teams and these future professionals will be on display at the Open Cup in Decatur. 
 
In additional to these international professional clubs, MLS, the top division of professional soccer in the United States, will be sending youth teams from 4 different pro clubs: Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, and FC Dallas. 
 
Youth teams from states across the United States will be attending the Open Cup and experiencing the Jack Allen Recreational Complex for the first time.  Teams from Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas will be in attendance.  Over 20 state champions and state finalists will be competing in the 2012 version of the Open Cup. 
 
Academy Sports has signed on as a major sponsor of the Open Cup and negotiations are under way with others.  The Open Cup will be one of the showcase tournaments for the best youth teams to attend in the South.
 
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The Open Cup Debuts in Decatur, Alabama
 
The city of Decatur has been selected to hold the inaugural 2012 The Open Cup, an Alabama Youth Soccer Association and United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) sanctioned tournament hosted by Premier Soccer Services. Set for April 13-15, 2012, organizers are expecting more than 200 teams from across the Southeast as well as international teams to compete bringing together some of the best youth soccer players to the fields of the Jack Allen Recreation Complex.
 
The three day tournament offers USYSA affiliated Premier, Challenge, Classic, and Academy level U10-U19 girls’ and boys’ competitive soccer opportunities. There will be a minimum of two divisions per age division/gender – an elite level of play and 1-2 competitive divisions tiered lower. Trophies will be awarded to the championship and runner-up teams in each age division.
 
“Decatur presented a great opportunity in providing the factors we needed for a successful event – great facilities, supportive city, CVB, and park and recreation department staff, and geographically central location for travel,” said Event Organizer Scott Spencer. “Though it is early, the response has been excellent with clubs from five states coming and over six teams from Mexico including the 1st Division pro club, CF Monterey Rayados. This will likely become an annual event that is one of the top club tournaments in the South.”
 
The Jack Allen Recreation Complex will also serve as host venue for the tournament April 12-14, 2013 and April 11-13, 2014. For complete registration information on the tournament, visit www.premiersoccerservices.com.   
 
For more information on the Jack Allen Recreation Complex, visit www.decataursports.com
 
About Premier Soccer Services
 
Premier Soccer Services (PSS) is an events and consulting service organization in business since 2006. PSS organizes events and programs from the grassroots to the international and professional level. Services, programs, and events include youth soccer tournaments, coaching education clinics, soccer development programming, exhibition matches (domestic and international), international tours of professional clubs and national teams in the USA, international training tours and programs for US based teams to Mexico and Latin America, and international relations with Federation and professional clubs.
 
About The Decatur-Morgan County Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCCVB)
 
The Decatur-Morgan County Convention & Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit organization promoting tourism and economic growth in Morgan County.  For information on special events and attractions in Decatur, contact the DMCCVB at 800.524.6181 or 256.350.2028; or visit its website at www.decaturcvb.org.

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