Fundraising, education and soccer passion will collide in Eugene this weekend as the
Warsaw Sports Marketing Club and the Korean
Student Association host the inaugural University of Oregon World Cup.
The two-day event will feature eight teams composed mostly of University students and members of the surrounding community and will be held at the main turf field next to the Student Recreation Center. All proceeds will benefit the National Parkinson’s Foundation.
The eight teams will be split into two groups of four, with play starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Play will continue through Sunday, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the playoffs.
Tournament founder and University senior Ki Park said a general lack of interest toward soccer in America and his love for the game were two of many reasons why he thought of setting up such a tournament.
“I felt like people over here were missing out,” said Park, who is also president of the Korean Student Association. “Everyone thinks soccer is kind of a girlie, non-contact sport. I wanted to show them that’s not the case.”
The benefits of the tournament run far beyond the playing field, however.
The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the Lundquist College of Business has been a big supporter of Parkinson’s disease research ever since the center’s founder and world-renowned sports marketer James H. Warsaw was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in late 1993. The WSMC has run an annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the University to raise money for Parkinson’s research for the past eight years.
Warsaw has also founded the James H. Warsaw Foundation to Cure Parkinson’s Disease and the National Parkinson’s Foundation to help pursue a cure. He is also a member of the National Parkinson’s Foundation Alliance Leadership Committee.
From a business aspect, Warsaw is known for his family-owned firm, Sports Specialties, which was the first license of the NFL and the world’s largest sports-licensed headwear company during Warsaw’s tenure as president from 1981-93.
Organizing the tournament also provided marketing students the chance to gain valuable experience. Students raised enough money through sponsors such as the University Commons, EA Sports and Red Bull to pay for most of the tournament’s cost, about $2,700.
Park said he received plenty of positive feedback from local soccer players when he first started kicking around the idea of putting together the tournament about 18 months ago.
“I didn’t know soccer was so popular around Eugene,” Park said. “They’re really nuts about it.”
Park said there will be many different groups represented at the UOWC, including Korean, Japanese and Saudi Arabian teams and a team composed of residence hall occupants.
With the tournament just a day away, Park said he’s ready to see his idea and hard work pay off.
“It’s a little bit of a playground for me,” Park said.

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