Virginia Rush SC gearing up for 2012 Atlantic Cup tournament
The fall soccer season has just started for most of the Mid-Atlantic region, but Virginia Rush Soccer Club is already well into preparations for the Atlantic Cup, their annual season-ending tournament held on December 1-2.
“I’m getting a lot of calls from clubs’ directors of coaching, especially up in Northern Virginia, who are bringing down multiple teams,” said tournament director Sonny Landry in a press release. “We’re a little ahead of schedule with that.
“It’s a fun, highly competitive tournament. We get over 100 teams every year from all over the country, and we have a team coming down from Canada this year. Everybody’s looking for an opportunity to come to the beach, so it’s a great way to cap off the fall season.”
Based at the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex, the Atlantic Cup is sanctioned by the Virginia Youth Soccer Association and features 15 boys’ and girls’ age groups with “Premier” and “Classic” divisions in each, all in a beachside setting offering a range of family-friendly activities beyond the action on the field. Under-9 and U-10 age groups will play in a 7v7 small-sided format and U-11s and U-12s will play in 8v8 format.
The tournament weekend marks the unofficial opening of the holiday season across the Tidewater area, with Virginia Beach hosting its annual Holiday Parade at the Beach on Saturday evening as well as the nightly McDonald’s Holiday Lights at the Beach light display along the Virginia Beach boardwalk. In nearby Williamsburg, Va., Busch Gardens will be open for its Christmas Town celebrations.
Though it takes place well after the region’s peak “beach season,” the Atlantic Cup typically offers good playing conditions on high-quality playing surfaces. Temperatures in Southeast Virginia range between 40 and 60 degrees in early December, a period which includes some of the area’s lowest rainfall levels of the calendar year.
“We’re spoiled when it comes to the facilities we have,” said Landry. “We have the best fields in Southeastern Virginia, and Virginia Beach is beautiful year-round.”
The application deadline for the 2012 Atlantic Cup is November 6. For more information, contact Landry or visit the tournament’s home page. To learn more about other weekend activities around Virginia Beach, check out www.visitvirginiabeach.com.
