Prince William Soccer (Va.) kicks off 18th edition of Toys For Tots tourney
By Charles Boehm
Prince William Soccer, Inc. are gathering dozens of youth teams from across the Mid-Atlantic this weekend and next for the 18th edition of their Toys For Tots Tournament, an event which has become the Washington, D.C. area’s unofficial curtain-raiser for the fall soccer season.
Under-13 through U-19 age groups compete this weekend, while U-9 through U-12 divisions play out on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
The tourney’s participants, many of whom tend to be repeat customers year after year, find that the competition provides a useful introduction to the league action ahead.
But of course, what really makes Toys For Tots special is its request that teams taking part bring new, unwrapped toys for donation for the Marine Corps’ annual toy-collection effort, which helps children from needy families across the nation enjoy the holiday season regardless of their economic conditions.
[ +Visit SoccerWire.com’s Toys For Tots Tournament home page here ]
It’s one of Virginia’s most respected charities and PWSI’s partnership with the Marine Corps has led to thousands of toys collected over the years.
PWSI’s years of steady growth and focus on facilities development have led to a high-quality assortment of field locations for the tournament, with all games scheduled to take place on bermuda grass or professional-grade synthetic turf at sites like Howison Park and Chinn in Woodbridge, Va., Long Park in Haymarket, Va. and Valley View Park in Nokesville, Va.
Most of PWSI’s elite Courage teams are competing in Toys For Tots 2013, and are joined by a range of entrants from clubs like the Arlington Soccer Association, Richmond Kickers, McLean Youth Soccer, Hampton Roads Strikers and the Outer Banks Storm, making the journey from eastern North Carolina to take part.
[ +Find T4T’s full schedule, results and standings information here ]
