Alabama Soccer Association’s State Cup Tournaments Return to Decatur in May

Decatur, Ala. (April 21, 2015) – Hundreds of youth soccer players from across the state of Alabama will make their way to Decatur the first two weekends in May for the Alabama Soccer Association (ASA) Division I and Division II State Cup tournaments. The Division I State Cup First Round (U13-U14) and Division II State Cup Preliminaries (U10-U13) will take place May 2-3, 2015, with the Division I State Cup Final Four (U13-U14) and Division II State Cup Final Four (U13 only) following May 9-10. All tournaments will take place at the Jack Allen Recreation Complex.

The Division I tournament is a top level qualifying event with winners advancing to regional tournaments where an invitation to the US Youth Soccer National Championships – the crown jewel of competitive youth soccer - is on the line. The Division II tournament decides which teams are Division II state champions and will represent Alabama in the USYSA Region III President’s Cup, which will take place in June 2015 in Lafayette, La.  

ASA is the governing body for all soccer clubs in Alabama who qualify to participate in these events. For more information on the State Cup tournaments, visit the ASA’s website at www.alsoccer.org.

Decatur has played host to the ASA’s youth soccer tournaments since 2007, except in 2011 when the city of Decatur withdrew from hosting because of the devastation and hotel demand from the April tornado outbreak. Previous tournaments have produced an economic impact of over $220K for the city of Decatur, bringing in athletes and their families who stayed in local hotels, made purchases in gas stations and convenience stores, and dined in restaurants over the course of two weekends.

The Jack Allen Recreation Complex contains 10 international size lighted fields with laser-graded certified sports turf and a computerized irrigation system. With the additional fields located in Point Mallard Park, Decatur has quickly become known nationally as a top rated soccer tournament location. For more information on the Jack Allen Recreation Complex, visit www.decatursports.com or www.decaturmorgansports.com.