More Than 90 Teams – And About 1,400 Players – Will Compete In The Placer United Girls Cup Oct. 24-26 At Soccer Fields In Placer Valley

ROSEVILLE, Calif. – Game-winning goals, big-time saves and dramatic penalty kicks will highlight the Placer United Girls Cup, a three-day tournament that kicks-off Friday afternoon, Oct. 24, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Cherry Island Soccer Complex and four soccer fields in Placer Valley.

More than 90 teams – with about 2,500 athletes, coaches and fans -- will compete in the Placer United Girls Cup, one of the largest and longest-running club team tournaments on the West Coast. The adidas-sponsored tournament is for 10- to 18-year-old players.

Games are at the Cherry Island Soccer Complex, 2429 U Street in Elverta; Cirby Elementary School and Glen Willow Park in Roseville; Franklin Elementary School in Loomis; and local teams will play Friday afternoon at Margaret Azevedo Park in Rocklin.

Saturday and Sunday matches start at 7:40 a.m., with the last games of the day scheduled for 5 p.m. Championship games are Sunday afternoon. Admission is free but there is a $10 daily parking fee at the Cherry Island Soccer Complex.

“The Placer United Girls Cup has grown into one of the premier competitions of youth soccer talent in Northern California,” said Ron Benjamin, Director of Girls Coaching for Placer United Soccer Club. More than 1,000 players – boys and girls – are members of Placer United, which has about 35 athletes continue with the sport in college every year. “Each year we are proud to welcome hundreds of players and families from across the western region to Roseville for a weekend of top-level competition, sportsmanship, and community.”

A $1 MILLION KICK TO THE PLACER VALLEY ECONOMY

Bay Area, Central Valley and Northern California clubs – along with a couple from Colorado and Nevada – will compete in the tournament.

“I’m always impressed with the soccer,” said Mill Valley Soccer Club coach Rob Funes, who will bring three teams and almost 50 players to the tournament. “It’s new competition, and there are different styles and some very strong teams.”

Pleasanton Rage Girls Soccer Club will bring 10 teams – about 165 players – to the Placer United Girls Cup.

“The competition is great,” said Erin Sharpe, Director of Coaching for Pleasanton Rage. “It’s a good experience for everybody.”

The Placer Valley economy also scores with the tournament, expected to generate at least $1 million for local hotels, restaurants and stores. Hundreds of hotel nights are booked for the tournament.

“The Girls Cup has a tremendous economic impact in the region, especially since traditional tourism slows a bit in the fall,” said Kim Summers, CEO of Placer Valley Tourism and @the Grounds, home of the Roebbelen Center. “It’s already a huge tournament, but we’re excited to see how much the event will grow over the next few years.”

PLACER VALLEY SOCCER COMPLEX WILL CREATE A ‘MUST-RETURN EVENT’

The Placer United Girls Cup will move next fall to the soon-to-open Placer Valley Soccer Complex in west Roseville, bringing more clubs, players and revenue to the region. The state-of-the-art soccer complex – located at 2600 Westbrook Blvd. – will feature 10 artificial-turf soccer fields, the latest LED lighting, two plazas and 950 parking spaces.

The tournament will become a “must-return event” for teams, said Jeanne Mabry, Marketing and Events Director for Placer United. The Girls Cup could double to almost 200 teams with the soccer complex, meeting or even exceeding the size of the 25-year-old tournament before the pandemic. “Having a soccer complex in the Roseville-Rocklin area … will be a huge selling point.”

The City of Roseville-owned complex is an “absolute game changer” for soccer in the Sacramento region and Northern California, Sharpe said. “There is so much more potential for the sport, and that complex will help. What I wouldn’t give to have 10-lit fields.”

Well-maintained soccer fields, especially those with lights, are in short supply statewide, as more athletes participate in the sport.

The once-every-four years women’s World Cup and now the decade-old National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) are a large reason more girls and women are playing soccer, officials say. The NWSL has enjoyed record attendance and viewership this season, with games on ESPN, CBS Sports and Prime Video.

“It’s brought much more energy, more excitement to the sport,” said Sharpe, who used to live in the Sacramento region.

About 5.7 million girls and women play soccer in the U.S., a 23% increase since 2018, according to the Sports Fitness Industry Association.

Soccer is the leading high school girls’ sport in California, with almost 48,000 players this year, according to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). The state accounts for about one of every eight high school girls playing soccer in the U.S.

The World Cup and NWSL “not only inspires the young players and gives them role models … but now you also have professional opportunities,” said Funes, who has been coaching for 25 years. “It’s really raised the level of the game. There has been such an emphasis on player development.”

But there is also another goal with the sport – and the Placer United Girls Cup.

“We want them to have a fun experience,” said Funes, whose youngest team will likely wear costumes for their games. Last year, Funes had a team full of players dressed like the iconic Barbie and he wore a wig to represent Ken.

“It’s a good experience for everybody,” Sharpe said of the tournament. “Some of our best memories are off the field.”

About Placer Valley Tourism
Placer Valley Tourism is a Business Improvement District that serves South Placer County and the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln. The BID operates to help generate incremental room night stays in hotels within Placer Valley Tourism’s geographic footprint through various conferences and youth and amateur sports events. PVT aims to coordinate community and sports events with the best hospitality options in the region. Placer Valley Tourism is a nonprofit and classified as a 501(c)6. For more information, please visit https://www.placertourism.com/.

About @the Grounds
@the Grounds is a multipurpose event facility on 61 acres in the heart of Roseville, California. @the Grounds includes the Roebbelen Center, a 160,000-square-foot event center that can accommodate major amateur sports competitions, large meetings, trade shows, concerts and other events. For more than 80 years, @the Grounds has been the home of the Placer County Fair – an annual celebration of the diversity of the community – along with countless other community, family and corporate gatherings. @the Grounds is the business entity of Placer Valley Sports Complex, a 501(c)3. For more information, please visit https://www.atthegrounds.com/.