Jefferson Cup 2016 begins Friday with Boys Showcase Weekend

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Jefferson Cup 2016 Championship Division Previews
Boys Showcase : U-15 | U-16 | U-17 | U-18
Girls Showcase: U-15 | U-16 | U-17 | U-18

The Jefferson Cup Boys Weekend kicks off on Friday with 426 of the top teams in the country ranging from the Under-10 to U-18 age groups competing in the three-day event hosted by the Richmond Strikers.

More than a third of the 1,131 teams from 30 different states accepted to compete in the 2016 Jefferson Cup will be in Richmond for the tournament’s opening weekend, including more than 50 reigning US Youth Soccer and US Club Soccer state champion teams from 15 different state associations. The Boys Weekend will feature top teams from some of the nation’s most challenging leagues, including the US Youth Soccer National League and various USYS regional leagues, US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues, the Eastern Development Program and Club Champions League, among others.

Jefferson Cup 2016 Schedules
Boys Weekend | Girls U10-U14 | Girls Showcase

Coaches from more than 150 men’s college programs have pre-registered to attend the event, representing all levels of collegiate soccer. One of the recruiting destinations for spring showcase events, the Jefferson Cup Boys Weekend will host coaches from several 2015 NCAA College Cup qualifiers at the Division I level as well as some of the top programs in the country at the Division II, III and junior college levels.

Goalkeepers attending the 2016 Jefferson Cup will once again have the opportunity to train extensively in front of college coaches while refining their physical and mental skills as ‘Own The Goal’, a Richmond-based goalkeeper training company, continues its partnership with the event. Along with Goalkeeper Showcases for the older age groups, ‘Own The Goal’ will also host Goalkeeper Clinics for younger players and a Shot Stopping & Finishing Clinic for U16-U18 boys players.

+Read: ‘Own The Goal’ GK Showcase providing additional exposure at Jefferson Cup

Across the 49 total divisions in nine different age groups, attending teams at the Boys Weekend will play between three and four games each on turf and natural grass fields throughout the greater Richmond, VA area against even competition, with age groups going as many as seven divisions deep. Younger levels will feature 7v7 and 8v8 small-sided play, while the older age groups will play in a round-robin showcase format at central field locations, maximizing college recruiting opportunities.

Some of the largest youth soccer facilities on the East Coast – including the all-turf River City SportsPlex and the natural grass fields at West Creek Complex, the multi-year host of the ECNL National Finals – will again serve as the primary college recruiting hubs throughout the tournament. In total, 18 field locations will be used throughout the event, including the facilities at Striker Park, Mary B. Stratton Park / Ukrops Park, the University of Richmond, the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center and Randolph Macon College, among others. This year’s event will also reach as far as the new Virginia Soccer Training Center in Fredericksburg and the Warhill Sports Complex in Williamsburg.

+Read: More than 150 NPL teams accepted to 2016 Jefferson Cup

The field for the 2016 Jefferson Cup will feature teams from Canada and 30 U.S. states including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the host state of Virginia.

Following the Boys Weekend, the tournament continues March 19-20 with 366 teams competing in the U10-U14 Girls Weekend, 339 teams in the Girls Showcase Weekend from March 24-26.

Jefferson Cup Boys Top Brackets