Teams throughout the Midwest will travel to compete in the Fall Kick Off Challenge making an estimated $4.5 million economic impact
OVERLAND PARK/OLATHE, Kan. – This weekend, August 19-21, Heartland Soccer will host more than 250 teams at the sold-out Fall Kick Off Challenge. Players will compete at two of the regions premier soccer facilities, Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex and Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex.
This tournament is established as a top fall event and annually attracts ECNL, NPL, State and Regional Champion teams from more than seven states.
With teams traveling in from all over the Kansas City metropolitan area and various states, the economic impact is estimated to be $4.5 million over the weekend.
“The Fall Kick Off Challenge has a long standing reputation as being a top tournament in the region. We are so excited to welcome back teams from all over the Midwest to the pitch this weekend,” said Shane Hackett, Heartland Soccer Association executive director. “We are continuing to experience significant growth in our regional tournaments as teams travel from multiple states to visit our world class facilities and compete on the fields.”
Considering the importance of local media to our sport, we encourage and invite the media to attend and cover the event. The first set of games will start at 5:30PM on Friday. Saturday and Sunday games will begin at approximately 8:00AM with the award ceremonies starting after noon on Sunday.
The Heartland Soccer Fall Tournament Series includes seven exceptional tournaments. Up next in the series is the Heartland Midwest Classic held Labor Day weekend, followed by the Midwest All Boys and Midwest All Girls Tournaments, which are expected to bring in more than 700 teams over the two weekends.
For more information on the Heartland Soccer Tournament Series, visit www.heartlandsoccer.net.
About Heartland Soccer Association
Heartland Soccer is the largest youth soccer league in the country with more than 1,350 league teams per season, 3,300 tournament teams annually, 74,000 youth soccer players, 4,000 coaches and 2,000 active referees. Heartland Soccer Association was formed in 1977 and has grown from an initial 600 players to serving teams from 16 states and internationally with league and tournaments. For more information, visit www.heartlandsoccer.net.
Heartland Soccer has several opportunities for league and tournament sponsorship. Heartland partners with like-minded businesses who understand that investing in young people today creates a better community for all in the future. Partners are important team members in creating an increasingly growing soccer family in our community. Sponsorship provides businesses with increased brand visibility while making a direct impact on developing Kansas City’s youth through soccer. For more information on sponsorship, please contact Bridgette Samuelson, Director of Partnership Development and Operations at bridgette@heartlandsoccer.net.
