The sight is ubiquitous and synonymous with campus life at the University: recreational soccer games on the Student Recreation Center turf fields, at all hours of the day.
Some of them are preparing for the weekend of April 17 – their own World Cup.
The University of Oregon World Cup started five years ago as a labor of love between soccer-loving business students. They have since graduated, and the tournament is trying to position itself as a staple athletic event on campus.
“There’s a huge untapped market for soccer on this campus,” said Alicia Incerpi, the tournament’s coordinator. “If you go out on the rec fields at night, there’s so many pickup games. There’s so many people who don’t know about the soccer tournament.”
Incerpi, a senior business administration major, heads a group of students affiliated with the Warsaw Sports Business Club who oversee all aspects of the World Cup, from advertisement to sponsorship to recruitment. The World Cup is segmented into two divisions: recreational, with eight team slots open to all comers, and collegiate.
Six men’s club soccer teams from around the state will participate in the event: Portland State, Portland, Oregon State, Southwestern Oregon Community College, Chemeketa Community College and the Oregon men’s club team, aperennial finalist.
“Having the collegiate club teams attend definitely enhances the prestige of the tournament,” said junior Bryn Dennehy, who has participated in the tournament with the recreational division team Drinos in each of the last two years. “It is interesting to compare the skill level of the club players to that of the rec players, and try and gander which players could potentially play at the next level.”
Each tournament game consists of 11-on-11 play; recreational division games last for 40 minutes, while the club teams play a full 90 minutes.
Referees from the Lane County Referee Association oversee the competition, and title sponsor Adidas provides the jerseys and soccer balls. A trainer was added last year, and a cracked sternum and torn ACL were treated on the spot.
“This is actual soccer,” Incerpi said.
The World Cup is a non-profit event, with all proceeds going to the Eugene YMCA’s youth scholarship fund, which funds memberships for underprivileged area children.
Tournament entry fees ($400 for collegiate club teams, $250 for recreational division teams) and donations will comprise the bulk of the eventual donation to the YMCA.
“We want to make a big impact on the Y because this is our first year with a local charity,” said Jenna Barnes, the tournament’s sponsorship coordinator. “The whole point is making a donation.”
In light of economic difficulties, donations of money have become increasingly difficult to find, so Barnes and Incerpi have been open to “in-kind,” or product- or service-related, donations for running the World Cup. In addition to Adidas’ support through jerseys and equipment, Pepsi offered cases of Sobe LifeWater as its donation. Subway and Carl’s Jr. will donate lunch and dinner. EA Sports will host tournaments of its soccer game FIFA for audience members. The YMCA will provide ball boys and girls, and a kids’ soccer game is slated to take place before the collegiate division championship game.
“Everything helps, especially in the economic downturn,” Barnes said. “We’ll take whatever we can get.”
Bragging rights on the line
For Dennehy, a junior English major who coaches two high school teams in the Eugene area, the World Cup is gaining prominence among the crowd at the turf fields, and connections are developed through the event.
“A lot of scouting and recruiting goes on prior to the tournament as teams attempt to find new talent to add to the roster,” Dennehy said in an e-mail.
Soccer is truly the world’s game, and the tournament makeup reflects heavily upon that. Dennehy’s team is headed by men’s tennis players Marcos Verdasco of Spain and Alex Cornelissen of Belgium. The Saudi Arabian Student Association and Korean Student Association each fielded teams last year and are expected to return for this year’s tournament.
“For many of these foreign players who aren’t well-connected to the soccer community in Eugene,” Dennehy said, “the U of O World Cup has become an opportunity for them to compete in an organized, refereed competition.”
That spirit of competition in both divisions is the lifeblood of the World Cup.
“I hope the school does a better job promoting the event this year,” Dennehy said. “It’s a great opportunity for students who don’t get to watch live soccer that often to come enjoy the sport and the beautiful weather. Winning the U of O World Cup in the Rec Division is all about bragging rights for the rest of the year.”
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World Cup comes to University April 17
Daily Emerald
April 13, 2009
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