Yes, that is a line from a Dr. Seuss book, but it’s so relevant for soccer right now. If you were able to attend the NIRSA Championship Series Year in Review in Denver, you already know how excited I am about where we’re going with NIRSA soccer. The Soccer Work Team and subcommittees have worked hard to proudly say that we now have an exciting opportunity to extend to NIRSA members who are passionate about officiating soccer.

Beginning Spring 2018, the Spring Soccer Pilot Program will begin with one host school, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. With the NIRSA Services Corporation Board’s support, we will host a tournament from April 20–22 with the main goal of incorporating student officials into the tournament. The host staff and work team members have partnered with NISOA to develop training materials specifically for the student officials who will be in attendance. Don’t let your network miss this!

Applications are now open for both staff and officials. Please be sure to share this with anyone that you might think would be interested in this brand-new opportunity! No national or regional tournament bid will result from this tournament, but we’re using this tournament to explore what the future of NIRSA soccer holds. Of course, we’re hoping for a successful tournament from both staff and participants based on the assessments we’re developing.

The structure of the tournament will consist of 32 teams—16 Men and 16 Women—from all over the Midwest and surrounding areas. It will be 7v7 with offsides for official’s development. Yes, soccer enthusiasts, I know what you’re thinking. It’s a bit nontraditional to have offsides in 7v7 but we’re open to innovation for the sake of growth. Team registration will be $250, and they’ll be guaranteed three games. If you have a team that would be interested in competing in this spring tournament, please have them visit the Illinois Regional Soccer Tournament page for details about how to get involved or have them email Nick Singer of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

I wanted to give a shout out to all the hard work that the subcommittee has put in to make this tournament happen. The subcommittee consists of professionals from all over the nation who are passionate about NIRSA and the growing game of soccer. Thank you all for your vision on this charge.

  • Nick Singer, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (Host)
  • Erik Jaeke, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Jordan Halstead, Central Washington University
  • Kevin Maurer, Winston-Salem State University
  • Abby Van Note, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Danny Feitel, University of California, Merced
  • Todd Abraham, NISOA Director of Instruction

Grab the attention of your student officials, staff, and teams and encourage them to participate in this huge opportunity!

  • For more information, please contact Tournament Host Nick Singer or NIRSA Championship Series Soccer Work Team Chair Laura Thomas.