by Sue Neff – Past President
So you want to take a team to play in the PA West Open Tournament at Edinboro University?
Each spring, PA West organizes an open tournament for any interested travel teams at Edinboro University, about two hours north of Pittsburgh. The tournament is held over two weekends in mid-June, although a team will only play one of the weekends based on the appropriate division for the team.
Why would a team want to participate? It is a fun weekend of soccer and an adventure on a different scale than their normal team functions! Each team plays three or four games between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon. Players have the option of staying in dorms and eating in a college cafeteria. It is a great way to wrap up a season!
The biggest challenge for someone organizing a team is getting a commitment from enough players early in the season. Two options are available to address a player shortfall. Each team can bring up to 4 guest players from other teams that play in the same or a lower age group and division. The second option includes dual-rostering players who will play the season on other teams, but want to fill a spot on a team for Edinboro. If you dual roster players, your total team roster cannot exceed the max for your age group and the team has to be finalized by April 30. Please work with the club travel registrar or other board member to work out a solution.
Registration deadline is typically around April 30, but I would suggest registering earlier if possible, as the brackets get filled out in groups of 4 teams. The club’s travel registrar must register the team.
The cost per team is $450, but NASC subsidizes most of that amount. The team must pay the registration fee up front, and the club will reimburse the team after they participate in the tournament. Staying in the dorm is $90 per person, including a meal plan. The team must also provide snacks and beverages.
Additional details can be found at the PA West website by clicking here.
North Allegheny Soccer Club 