Registration For 10th Annual Beach Soccer Festival Now Open
Over the past decade, Beach Soccer has journeyed from the beaches of Brazil to the hearts of millions of fans all over the globe. The participation of internationally renowned players such as flamboyant Frenchman Eric Cantona, legendary Spanish strikers Michel and Julio Salinas and Brazilian samba stars such as Romario, Junior and Zico has helped to expand television coverage to large audiences in over 170 countries worldwide, making Beach Soccer one of the fastest growing professional sports in the world and converting it into a major showcase for international commercial opportunity.
Soccer News: Want some surf, sand, soccer, fun under the sun and the most amazing Pro Teams? The 2016 Beach Soccer Championships in Oceanside, California on May 13-15, is the perfect way to kick off the summer soccer season.
Thousands of players have ranked the festival among the top 3 events they participate in all year. The tournament accepts over 320 youth and 16 professional teams from 8 different countries, however due to high demand, the tournament still has turned teams away due to limited space.
“Last year we hosted the most competitive teams we have ever had at The Beach Soccer USA Cup,” said Gino Rossi, President – The Beach Soccer Championships. “We had FC Barcelona (Spain), BSC Chargers (Switzerland), Colosseum Roma (Italy), CD Nacional (Portugal), Tokyo Lequios (Japan), Antioquia BSC (Colombia) and many more international teams competing. In fact, 9 out of 16 teams came from outside the USA.”
The Beach Soccer Championships had more than 77,000 attend the 2015 event.
2016 Tournament Details:
Dates: May 14th & 15th
Cost (Per Team): $650 youth, $650 adults & $695 professionals
Registration Deadline: April 16, 2016
Additional Info: Teams are not accepted until full payment has been received. Rosters must be entered by by May 10, 2016. Recommended roster size of 10 players per team.
2016 PRO Line Up Includes: (Check Back for Updates)
Portland BSC – their 4th consecutive participation in the tournament.
Great Lakes BS – a professional beach soccer club located in West Michigan.
BSC Chargers Baselland – their 2nd consecutive participation and are focused on defending their 2015 Championship Title.
Tiki Tama BeachSoccer – from Tahiti, finished 2nd at last year’s world cup in Portugal.
Al Ahli Club Beach Soccer – from Dubai, UAE and will make their first appearance.
Antioquia BSC – from Medellin, Colombia, returning for their second participation.
Colosseum Roma BS – from Rome, Italy, returning for their second participation.
Dorsole Kitakyushu BS – their first appearance and won the Japanese National Beach Soccer Championship.
More on Beach Soccer:
Beach Soccer had been played recreationally all over the world for many years and in many different formats but it wasn’t until 1992 that the laws of the game were envisioned and a pilot event staged by the founding partners of BSWW in Los Angeles. The following summer, the first professional beach soccer competition was organized at Miami Beach, with teams from the USA, Brazil, Argentina and Italy taking part in what would turn out to be an historic event.
In April 1994 the first event to be covered by network television transmissions was held on the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro and the city hosted the inaugural Beach Soccer World Championship one year later. The competition was won by the host nation, making Brazil the first ever World Champions of Beach Soccer. The success of the tournament saw commercial interest begin to match developments on the pitch and growing demand for the sport around the world gave rise to the Pro Beach Soccer Tour in 1996.
Check out more videos from previous Championships on their YouTube Channel.
The Beach Soccer Championships also have Pro teams available for sponsorship, offering great visibility for companies looking to enhance their marketing in the Southern California market.
For more information on sponsoring a PRO Team, email Sponsorship@BeachSoccerUSA.org.
Related article: Beach Soccer USA Cup 2015 Champions
