North Little Rock, Arkansas Chosen to Host 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships

North Little Rock, Arkansas Chosen to Host 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships

Nation’s top youth soccer players to ascend on Burns Soccer Complex for 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships

FRISCO, Texas (April 3, 2007) –United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer)
announced today that the city of North Little Rock, Ark., will host the 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships, the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament. Arkansas State Soccer Association will serve as the local organizing committee for the event scheduled to be played at Burns Park Soccer Complex, July 22-27, 2008.

“We are excited to have the Championships at Burns Park Soccer Complex in North Little Rock and look forward to working with Arkansas State Soccer Association,” said Larry Monaco, president of US Youth Soccer. “Each year, the nation’s top players look forward to another year of outstanding competition as the best teams earn their way from state to regional champions, striving to be one of the top 56 teams in the country playing for the National Championships.”
“I am sure that we owe North Little Rock's selection as the home of the 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships to several factors,” said North Little Rock Mayor Patrick H. Hays. “First, the Burns Park Soccer Complex is, without question, one of the finest amateur soccer facilities in the country, and North Little Rock Parks & Recreation Director Bob Rhoads and his staff are to be commended for their continuous dedication and hard work in the creation and maintenance of this outstanding and beautiful complex. Secondly, the Arkansas State Soccer Association has a proven track record of hosting large prestigious soccer tournaments such as the 2002 and 2006 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships. Finally, the partnership and cooperation between the cities of North Little Rock and Little Rock in showcasing Central Arkansas and our premiere soccer complex, and providing the best in southern hospitality.”

The US Youth Soccer National Championships Series provides approximately 185,000 players on over 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer’s 55 State Associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play. The US Youth Soccer National Championships cap a yearlong series of competitions for boys and girls teams in multiple age brackets as teams earn their way from the top teams in their state to the regional championship tournaments. US Youth Soccer State Champions and selected wildcard teams through US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues in most age groups are eligible to compete in one of four US Youth Soccer Regional Championships.

The champions in the Under-14 through Under-19 age brackets from each regional event will converge on North Little Rock, July 22-27, to enjoy the nation’s top competition. 2008 will mark the first year for teams from the US Youth Soccer National League will compete in the
National Championships competitions. The National League will begin play in the Under-15 and
Under-16 age groups, boys and girls, during the 2007-2008 seasonal year, and two teams from each of the gender age groups will compete.

Annually the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation’s top collegiate
coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. In 2006, over 500 coaches attended the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships including the majority of the top 25 men’s and women’s programs based on the final 2006 NSCAA/adidas National Rankings for NCAA Division I schools. To learn more about the US Youth Soccer log on to www.USYouthSoccer.org, for more about the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series log on to http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org, the online home for the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, providing the latest in news, information and more.