The eighth annual 5 v 5 Youth Soccer Tournament will be hosted by the NSU Men’s Soccer Alumni Association March 31-April 1 at NSU. Local soccer players, ages 7 to 17, will participate in the event.
This will be the third year the NSU Men’s Soccer Alumni Association has hosted the event, and they have been planning it since January.
Assistant men’s soccer coach, Matthew Parry, a member of the association, said the main purpose of the tournament is for the alumni to stay involved.
“From this tournament we kind of built the Men’s Soccer Alumni Association. Because of this 5 v 5 soccer festival we’re able to get more alumni back on campus. They come and help out the weekend of the event. We try and do one or two events a year for the alumni, just so they can get back involved with the university,” he said.
The secondary purpose, Parry said, is to expose NSU to the community.
“The second priority is to get the local community on campus, so we can showcase our facility, showcase our soccer programs, and hopefully find some Sharks of tomorrow and the future,” he said.
On Mar. 31, the boys will be competing in the tournament, while the girls compete on April 1. Although it’s a soccer tournament, Parry described the event as more of a festival. There will be music, food, a bounce house and renowned artist, Guy Harvey, will sell shirts. Parry said the event is a great experience for the participants.
“The biggest benefit is it’s an opportunity for the kids to play. They get to play on a nice facility, on a college facility, which they normally don’t get the opportunity to do. It’s just a great occasion,” said Parry.
The tournament had nearly 2,000 participants last year and Parry expects it to be near that number this year. Members of the NSU community are encouraged to watch and support the participants.
