US Club Soccer is pleased to partner with Soccer in College to manage its tournament application process for 2009. Effective immediately, team administrators can access and submit applications and appropriate fees online via the National Cup VIII Web page.
Cities throughout the United States will host tournaments beginning Memorial Day weekend and concluding the Fourth of July weekend during the regional stage of US Club Soccer’s national championship event. Nine Regionals are currently set, with the specific facility in Texas to be announced in the next few days. It is also expected that US Club Soccer will announce an additional 10th Regional location in the near future.
Winners from the National Cup VIII Regionals in the U-13 through U-17 age groups advance to the National Cup VIII Finals, where national championships will be awarded in Premier and Super Group divisions. U-11 and U-12 squads earn regional championships, but do not advance to the National Cup Finals.
For the second successive year, the National Collegiate Showcase will be held in conjunction with the National Cup Finals in Virginia Beach, Va. In a change from last year, the boys’ and girls’ events will be held on different dates to better accommodate the large number of participating teams.
The boys’ National Cup VIII Finals and National Collegiate Showcase will take place July 25-28, while the girls’ events are scheduled for July 31-Aug. 3.
National Cup VIII Regionals - Application Highlights:
Application fees for the 2009 National Cup VIII Regionals have not increased from last year.
Fees are $795 for U-13 through U-17 teams and $595 for U-11 and U-12 squads. Teams are encouraged to apply early, as the application fee will increase by $100 in mid-April. Clubs that register 10 teams for the National Cup VIII Regionals will receive a fee waiver for an 11th team.
There are no restrictions on which 2009 National Cup VIII Regional location teams may attend. That is, teams are not required to attend a Regional in their USSF region.
To ensure a high level of competition for all clubs, all teams applying for the 2009 National Cup VIII will do so at the Premier level. A tournament committee, consisting of regional neutral club soccer coaches, will provide input on seeding. US Club Soccer will also review all applicants’ tournament and league history. In addition, several online rankings will be consulted. With all the information available, qualified teams will be promoted into the Super Group division.
As in previous years, a team that has applied for a 2009 National Cup VIII Regional which subsequently wins its state cup or US Youth Soccer Regional League, and chooses to attend the US Youth Soccer Regional instead of the US Club Soccer Regional, will receive a full refund.
Teams in the National Cup VIII Finals will not incur an additional fee. Participation in the event is covered by the squads’ initial National Cup VIII Regional application fee.
