As the Women’s World Cup heats up, a World Cup of another kind is set to land in Virginia this spring.
The U.S. Drone Soccer National Championships and the 2024 World Air Sports (FAI) Drone Soccer World Cup will take place April 25-28 at Virginia Tech. According to United States Drone Soccer, the event will include competitive play, tournaments and championships for students ages 12 and older.
It also will take place as more high schools are adding drone soccer teams to their programming.
But what the heck is drone soccer? We’ll let the FAI take it from here:
Drone soccer is a fast-growing new air sport that involves two teams [with] up to five players per team whose aim is to score the highest number of goals.
Fun to both watch and play, drone soccer is a futuristic sport that takes traditional football to a whole new level — literally!
Played indoor[s] or outdoor[s] in a predetermined “flying zone” measuring up to 20m x 10m, drone soccer matches … consist of three sets lasting three minutes each.
The drones in play, which are operated by drone pilots standing at either end of the pitch, are encased in protective orbs lit up using colorful LED lights — enabling both players and spectators to easily identify members of the different teams.
Only one player on each team — the “striker” — can score by flying his or her drone through the circular goal post placed 3m to 3.5 m above ground. The remaining players must help their striker or prevent the opposition’s ‘striker’ [from] scoring by protecting their goal.
Comparisons abound to Quidditch, Harry Potter’s favorite game — although that sport is moving toward the Quadball moniker. And, like esports, drone soccer appeals to a participants who might not compete in other sports.
“I just thought it was the most amazing thing for kids to do because it involved a lot of STEM skills. It will teach them about aeronautics and aerospace and give them different avenues to get into the field,” Albert Gallo, an aerospace engineering teacher at Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science in Long Beach, Calif., told the Long Beach Post earlier this year when that school became the first in the state to launch a drone soccer team. “I think drone soccer is going to be the next big thing. I think it’s a sport where schools could buy the equipment, get some training, get some kids who are interested in aviation and then start their teams.”
In April, Sato teams took home first- and third-place honors in the first-ever U.S. Drone National Soccer Championship at Wildcat Field House at the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute’s campus in Utica. Teams from Alabama, California, Colorado and New York participated.
“New York State teams are growing at the fastest rate in the country,” Bob Payne, a volunteer coordinator for CNY Drones, which provides a statewide support mechanism for students and teachers involved in drone building, coding and flying, said in a statement issued in conjunction with the event. “We plan on continuing to support educators choosing this great STEM sport as we ramp up for a second season this September.”
In May, the Fairfield (Iowa) Community School District announced its plans for a drone soccer team to take flight at Fairfield High School this fall. According to the Southeast Iowa Union, the district purchased five drones and a mobile arena with donations of $12,000 from 13 individuals and businesses in the community. Technology director John Grunwald told the paper that drone soccer originated in East Asia about three years ago, with Colorado being the first state to host drone soccer competitions.
So it should come as little surprise that members of a drone soccer team from that Colorado, Westminster High School, traveled to South Korea in June to participate in an international drone soccer open representing the United States — placing third overall.
“It was just an amazing opportunity to be able to be a part of all of this,” Robbie Ferguson, a teacher at Westminster High who oversees the program, told KUNC.org. “Seeing all the kids learn and adapt on how to build, fix, repair and fly the drones was special.”
While U.S. Drone Soccer emphasizes that it offers a “turnkey aviation workforce development program” to help schools develop accessible pathways for students toward in-demand aerospace careers, the sport also offers event planners emerging opportunities. In fact, U.S. Drone Soccer partners with universities, nonprofit organizations, and companies to help expand drone education across the country and increase access to youth drone sports.
We have more than 100 organizations getting started in this new flying team sport,” Kyle Sanders, vice president of development for drone sports at United States Drone Soccer, said in a video filmed at the national championship in Utica. “Our mission is to make aerospace education accessible and that includes students who maybe don’t get a chance to interact with this technology. Maybe they come from underserved communities or are on the spectrum. They’ve never been able to be in a team sport before. So, yes, they’re learning a high-paying skillset, but they’re also learning the leadership and communication that they might not otherwise get, and it really brings out the best in them.”
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