July 14, 2016 — This week, thousands of soccer enthusiasts from around the world are making their way to Blaine, Minnesota, for the largest youth soccer tournament in the western hemisphere — the Schwan’s USA CUP® tournament. In our 18th year of sponsoring this event, we are excited to welcome 1,178 teams from 19 states and 20 countries.
The nine-day tournament starts tomorrow, July 15, and will be held at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. The tournament is expected to attract media outlets and sports news outlets from around the country. There is a weekend tournament that runs until July 17, followed by the weeklong Schwan’s USA CUP tournament that runs from July 19-23.
As part of our sponsorship for the tournament, Schwan’s Home Service donates thousands of Schwan’s® novelties to the annual tournament, which are handed out during events like the Olympic-style opening ceremony that will take place on July 19.
Additional activities we will host at this year’s annual event include an ice cream social on July 20. And, a Jack Nicklaus Ice Cream Mini Golf activity is scheduled for July 21, where guests can test their putting skills and sample Jack Nicklaus Ice Cream.
This is also the third-consecutive year our Schwan’s Cares™ fundraising program facilitated a contest for participants to raise money for their teams. The team campaigns that raise $500 or more are entered into a drawing, where one randomly selected team will have its team- and player-tournament fees reimbursed courtesy of Schwan. Additionally, the winning team of the Schwan’s Cares™ campaign competition will be recognized at the opening ceremony of the tournament.
This is the 32nd anniversary of the soccer tournament and the 18th consecutive year we have sponsored the tournament. Deemed as “America’s greatest youth soccer event,” the Schwan’s USA CUP® tournament also brings significant tourism revenue to the state of Minnesota.
The 600-acre National Sports Center and Blaine Soccer Complex make up the largest contiguous soccer complex in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, with 64 fields at one site. The Sports Center also includes a soccer stadium, the Schwan Super Rink ice arena, a cycling velodrome, an indoor sports hall, a dormitory with a cafeteria and a PGA-designed National Youth Golf Center and golf course.
For more information about the Schwan’s USA CUP® tournament, visit www.usacup.org.
