Soccer News: “Circumstances Outside the Control of the Tournament Committee Deteriorated the Event”
Despite more than a year of planning and various contingency plans to hold another great Region III Presidents Cup, inclement weather throughout the state of Louisiana created circumstances outside the control of the tournament committee and deteriorated the event to an unacceptable level for players, coaches, families, referees, volunteers and fans; it is extremely unfortunate that despite all of the efforts of the regional and local event committee, the event could not be completed as intended.
Large amounts of rainfall and lightning during the event caused significant delays and the heavy rainfall made the complex fields unplayable due to safety concerns. Following the protocol for the Region III Presidents Cup, after exhausting the contingency plans of delays, shorten games, kicks from the mark, other facilities in the nearby and as far away as 130 miles, with so many games needing to be played, coin tosses were used to advance teams to the shortened finals.
As is protocol following events, US Youth Soccer, the regional event and local event committees will review the timeline and all related decisions to ensure that the best possible outcomes occur in the future. A meeting with my national staff took place June 15, 2015 to address the event. We will update participants leading into next year’s event on any new policies or procedures that are put into place.
We deeply regret the disappointments many of our teams, families and fans experienced. We can assure all involved that the actions in Lafayette will be reviewed and issues within our control will be resolved in time for next year’s event. Our primary focus is the safety of players and we look forward to an enjoyable 2016 US Youth Soccer Region III Presidents Cup, scheduled for June 9-12, 2016 at Penberthy Sports Complex and Veterans Park in College Station, Texas.
Respectfully,
Chris Moore
CEO
