Virginia Beach Ready to Host Sand Soccer Championships

From June 7-9, thousands of beach soccer enthusiasts will flock to the Virginia Beach oceanfront to compete in the 26th Ferguson North American Sand Soccer Championships (NASSC). This year’s event features almost 900 soccer teams and an estimated additional 300+ sidekick beach sport teams (field hockey, flag football, kickball and volleyball). Per a City of Virginia Beach economic impact survey, NASSC generates $14 million annually.

The U.S. Open features men’s and women’s professional beach soccer teams from around the world competing for cash prizes. Matches begin at 8:00am on Friday and Saturday and run until 10:00pm. Playoff matches begin on Sunday at 8am and conclude with the championship games: at 11:30am for the women’s championship match and 2:30pm for the men’s championship match. All games are free and open to the public.

NASSC is hosted by the Hampton Roads Soccer Council, a 501c3 non-profit organization, and all proceeds benefit the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex (HRSC) in Virginia Beach, VA. HRSC is a 24-field soccer complex (includes 22 Bermuda grass fields and 2 artificial turf fields) and hosts over 400,000 visitors annually.

For more information about the event visit: www.sandsoccer.com

Details on this year's event are as follows:

SOCIAL SITES:         

• www.sandsoccer.com  
• Facebook - @NASSC.HRSC
• Instagram - @sandsoccer_nassc
• Twitter - @NASSC_HRSC             
• #nassc  #nassc2019

FAST FACTS:

• 12,000+ participants (ages U8 to over 40)
• 20+ States represented
• $14.8 million in economic impact annually
• 200,000 weekend boardwalk attendance
• Affiliated with Beach Soccer Worldwide, FIFA’s operational arm for professional beach soccer internationally

HOSTS:                     

• Hampton Roads Soccer Council (HRSC) leads the planning and execution of NASSC
• HRSC’s affiliate soccer clubs assist with the planning and development: Beach FC, Over Thirty Soccer League, Southeastern Virginia Women’s Soccer Association and the Virginia Rush. 

CHARITY BENEFACTOR:

• Proceeds from NASSC benefit the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex (HRSC), a 501c3 non-profit organization in Virginia Beach, VA. HRSC is a 24-field soccer complex (includes 22 Bermuda grass fields and 2 artificial turf fields) and sees over 400,000 visitors annually. For more information about HRSC, visit: www.soccercomplex.org.  

HIGHLIGHTS:          

• June 6^th – U.S. Open coaches/players welcoming reception 
• June 7^th – Team registration at Virginia Beach Convention Center
• June 7^th - VIP reception
• June 7^th - Soccer Kid’s Clinic (FREE) at 7:00pm; night pro match at 9:00pm (24^th Street Stadium)
• June 8^th – 9^th – Amateur games from 8:00am-6:00pm, live beach music, food and retail sale
• June 7^th – 9^th – U.S. Open matches from 8:00am-10:00pm Friday/Saturday and 8:00am-3:00pm Sunday

U.S. OPEN: 

• Topprofessional men’s and women’s beach soccer teams compete in a 3-day format for cash prizes (men’s purse - $25,000, women’s purse - $5,000). The U.S. Open is the centerpiece of NASSC, routinely drawing international entries and attracting several thousand spectators to the 24^th Street Stadium. Teams competing in 2019 include:

Men’s Teams:

• Antioquia, Colombia
• Azzurri, PA          
• Castaways BSC, CA
• FLA, Florida
• GoBeachSoccer, CA
• Great Lakes BSC, MI
• HRSC Elite, VA
• Maryzillians, MD
• New England FC, MA
• PortsVA BSC, VA
• Punta Hermosa BSC, Peru
• Tacoma Stars, WA
• The U BSC, FL
• Tidewater Captains, VA
• Toronto Beach Soccer, Canada
• VB Alliance, VA

Women’s Teams:

• HRSC Elite, VA
• MD BSC, MD
• PeacePassers.org, NC
• SEVWSA All-Stars, VA
• Shoreline BSC, CA

SIDEKICK SPORTS:

• Beach Flag Football (12^th – 14^th Streets), Beach Field Hockey (11^th – 12^th Streets), Beach Kickball (9^th – 10^th Streets) and Beach Volleyball (34^th – 36^th Streets)

NASSC LEAD SPONSORS:

• TITLE SPONSOR: Ferguson
• PRESENTING SPONSOR: City of Virginia Beach
• AFFILIATE: Beach Soccer Worldwide

KEY SPONSORS:

• All-Pro Tactical
• Beachside Social
• Best Western Plus
• Commonwealth Brewing Company
• iFLY
• One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning
• Sand Soccer Gear
• Sentara
• ShoreBreak Pizza & Taphouse
• SoccerWorld
• Tropical Smoothie Café
• Virginia529
• YMCA
• YNot Italian