The Palm Beaches to Host Development Player League (DPL) Soccer Showcase

Up-and-coming amateur soccer players will return to The Palm Beaches for the Development Player League's Summit event on March 27-30. The Sports Commission is partnering with Elite Tournaments to bring this premier event to the Gardens North County District Park in Palm Beach Gardens. Thousands of athletes, coaches, and spectators are expected to travel from across the nation to participate in this elite soccer showcase.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission’s successful bid will bring this national Development Player League (DPL) event to The Palm Beaches this March. The DPL is a leading organization for girls’ soccer, which focuses on creating a high level of competition, meaningful games, greater exposure in college showcases, and professional game day environments. The DPL is sanctioned nationwide by the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) a multisport organization with over 4,000,000 members in a variety of sports. 

DPL's Summit event will consist of girls' soccer teams competing in age divisions that range from U13 to U19. Over 1,700 athletes and more than 4,000 total visitors are expected to participate in and attend the event. Considering the influx of visitors who will be traveling from across the nation, the tourism impacts will be significant. The event is expected to generate 3,000 hotel room nights and nearly $2.25 million in visitor spending for Palm Beach County’s hospitality and business community. 

The Gardens North County District Park opened in 2019 and sits on 82 acres of land in the City of Palm Beach Gardens. The $13.7 million project, funded through the one-cent sales tax program, broke ground in early 2018. The Gardens North County District Park is equipped with 10 lighted Latitude 36 Bermuda Grass multipurpose fields. The fields were designed with FIFA regulations in mind at the forefront of their ground-up build. This venue has also been home to soccer events on a national and global scale, including Major League Soccer (MLS) Spring Training.  

For more information about The Summit, please click here.