Fourth Edition of the Dallas International Girls Cup is a Huge Success
The fourth annual Dallas International Girls Cup took place in Farmers Branch, Texas, April 15-20, 2014. The tournament featured 88 participating teams from Canada, England, Denmark, Australia and the USA. The event kicked off with an opening ceremony held at the McFarlin Auditorium with keynote speaker Anson Dorrance, the most decorated women’s soccer coach in the USA.
“It was an honor to be part of the 2014 Dallas International Girls Cup Opening Ceremony,” said Dorrance, the renowned women’s head coach at the University of North Carolina. “Bringing together the different cultures created a unique and exciting atmosphere that is invaluable for youth teams to experience. I enjoyed being part of the opening ceremony and would recommend this event to any team looking for a competitive tournament with a unique international element.”
International teams were hosted and housed by local participating teams from host club Dallas Texans and from the D’Feeters club as well. All teams were impressed by the Texans’ Hospitality.
The competition took place on the best soccer fields Dallas has to offer at nine perfectly manicured fields where all tournament games were hosted. Mother Nature smiled over the tournament as well with great weather during the week – sunshine and perfect temperatures.
After four intense days of competition, two international teams reached the finals, Blackburn Rovers from England and Ballerup-Skovlunde from Denmark, with five Danish national team players. Champions crowned at the tournament were Eagles from California in the U12 and U13 category, the Dallas Texans in the U15 and U17 category, Solar Chelsea in the U14 category and NJ Stallions Dynamites in the U16 category. Winners received a trophy along with a travel certificate from Premier International Tours toward a trip to the Gothia Cup in Sweden and the Dana Cup in Denmark.
In addition to top soccer, the participants were treated to an international dance evening which included some line dancing lessons, the option to visit the semifinals of the Dallas Cup Super Group, courtesy of the Dallas Cup, and a Major League Soccer (MLS) game between FC Dallas and Toronto FC.
The Dallas International Girls Cup also partnered with the Dallas United Nations Association and pledged $1 for every goal scored, to be matched with another $1 from local support. These donations were used for their Nothing But Nets campaign for malaria eradication in Africa. During the tournament 591 goals were scored enabling the organization to buy between 100-120 nets which will save 100-120 lives!
The Dallas International Girls Cup was developed by tournament director Loek van Zijl and is organized in conjunction with Premier International Tours. For more information check www.dallasinternationalgirlscup.com and the tournament Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dallas-International-Girls-Cup/1393353687568127.
