News release from the Shindigz National Soccer Festival:
Shindigz National Soccer Festival features all amateur levels of soccer for fans
Youth to NCAA Division 1 Champions Find Role To Fill At Festival
The Shindigz National Soccer Festival will once again return to the Hefner Soccer Complex on the campus of IPFW Thursday, August 22nd through Saturday, August 24th. Schedules are now available online at https://www.nationalsoccerfestival.com/. Advance discount tickets can now be purchased at Fort Wayne-area Walgreen’s, 800 Degrees Restaurants and Connolly’s Do It Best Hardware locations. Tickets can also be purchased on the days of the event at the gate as in years past.
Once again, several top-notch high school and collegiate teams will participate in the Shindigz National Soccer Festival. Also, for the first time in the history of the Shindigz National Soccer Festival, see a match between the back-to-back NCAA Men’s National Champions. North Carolina (2011 NCAA Men’s National Champion) will take on Indiana (2012 NCAA Men’s National Champion) on Saturday, August 24th.
All levels of amateur soccer, boy’s and girl’s … men’s and women’s, will be represented at the Festival. Over 180 youth teams will compete in the Puma Cup in conjunction with Shindigz National Soccer Festival and area young people serve as ball kids during several games and enjoy the World Cup Walkout. High School teams play in the Snider High School Invitational tournament. Academy competition is new this year and will be represented by the Chicago Fire Academies from both Chicago and Indianapolis. Finally, at the collegiate level, all levels of NCAA competition are represented as well, including Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3. “There is no other soccer event in the Midwest that I’m aware of that represents so many levels of play,” said Shindigz National Soccer Festival Executive Director Terry Stefankiewicz. “Our young people who attend the Festival can see the progression throughout the weekend of the skill and talent levels that they need in order to be competitive at each level of play. They can see where they fit in or where they need to be in order to play at each level. Coaches can observe all levels of amateur play in one place and pick up tips on how to be competitive.”
What began in 2000 has now become the nationally known phenomenon of the Shindigz National Soccer Festival. What was merely a soccer event has now turned into a full-fledged, grass roots community supported soccer festival.
Corporations, foundations, and personal donations are the backbone of the festival. The beneficiaries of the event are the city of Fort Wayne for the national recognition it receives; the area youth for the hands on interaction with the soccer players and coaches from national major universities; the local business people of Northeast Indiana, for the added commerce brought to the area; the area universities, for the added exposure and the average Fort Wayne citizen who knows nothing about the game, but loves to have fun in a family oriented atmosphere.
Currently, the Shindigz National Soccer Festival has evolved into a true community soccer festival, including youth clinics put on by major university coaches and players, wide ranges of live entertainment, opportunities for youth involvement, food vendors, giveaway prizes, and for the 21 and older crowd, beer tents, all located at the beautiful Hefner Soccer Complex on the campus of IPFW in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Shindigz National Soccer Festival is honoured again, this year, to bring top-ranked college soccer teams, along with highly prestigious high school teams, to Fort Wayne. Due to the great history of the event, Shindigz National Soccer Festival has been recognized nationally as the premier event to attend for pre-season collegiate soccer.
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