May 19, 2009

In 1994, the city of Concord did something that had never been done before. A committee called all the presidents of soccer youth leagues into the same room. The objective: put together a weekend tournament where both competitive and recreational teams could compete. Thus, the Concord Cup was born. "Everyone embraced it right away," says tournament chairman and Diablo FC board member Jay Bedecarre.

Sixteen years later the Concord Cup is stronger than ever. This past weekend 124 youth soccer teams from across California and Nevada traveled to Concord to compete in the tournament. Boys and girls — ages under 10 and under 19 — from three separate leagues participated in the "All-Star" formatted event. The American Youth Soccer Organization, Diablo Futbol Club and the Mt. Diablo Soccer Association pick the best players from their region to make up teams. These teams play against each other in the Concord Cup.

"It breaks down the barrier between competitive and recreational leagues," says Bedecarre. "It`s a unique tournament where both elements come together; two cultures of youth soccer at one tournament." The AYSO and MDSA soccer leagues represent recreational teams. This means it is run by total volunteers, from the referees to the coaches. The DFC is a competitive club team. Their players have to pay to register for the season. The referees get paid as well as the coaches. The result is a slightly higher level of competition.
Dan Olavarri, the coach of an MDSA under 19 girls team as well as Diablo FC president, says the mixture of the different leagues challenges the girls. "It gives them an opportunity to see what upper level soccer is like," he says. "It`s fun to see how you`re going to stack up."

The idea for the Concord Cup stemmed from a tournament in Davis, CA. The Davis World Cup was the first soccer tournament in the area to host both recreational and competitive teams. Since the Davis tournament and the Concord Cup`s establishment, other cities have followed suit. Comstock, Pleasant Hill and the Diablo Futbol Club have put on tournaments.

"In the beginning we had a short list of teams to contact," says Referee Administrator and committee member Anthony Fuentes. "That list has compiled over the years. It`s like networking in the soccer world —those teams invite us to their tournaments and we invite them."

The process of putting together the Concord Cup is time consuming. Fuentes says the planning begins at the beginning of the year. They plan locations, secure fields, pick teams, schedules and vendors.

Fundraising is a big part of the event. Many local vendors sell their products at Concord Cup. All the money raised through fundraising is split up between the three leagues. The Concord Cup has raised an estimated $100,000 since it began. The AYSO League puts most of its money towards the Very Important Person program. This is a curriculum for kids with special needs.

"It takes a lot of effort to put together that type of program, but we are very proud of it," says Fuentes. "We sponsor families so they don`t have to pay for registration."

The tournament also financially benefits the city of Concord. Roughly 60 percent of teams come from outside the Bay Area. Fuentes estimates that about five thousand people, including players and families, stay in hotels and dine in the city over the weekend. "The city helps us a lot because they appreciate the publicity it brings them," says Fuentes. "The tournament has been acknowledged by the mayor of Concord." Another element the Concord Cup brings to the city is diversity. Already known as being very culturally varied, Concord is a perfect host for the tournament. "We`re proud of that," says Fuentes. "We try to make it as a diverse and open program as possible."

Fuentes says the Concord Cup has players with Latin, white, black, Caribbean, Puerto Rican and Columbian backgrounds.

"The diversity really struck me," says Bedecarre. "All the differences go away on the field. That`s what is special about sports — all other things are put aside." For local kids, the Concord Cup is especially special. They get to play a tournament at home and get a feel of hometown pride.

"The parents love it because it is so local," says Olavarri. "We always get a lot of families to come watch. It`s a great time."

When all is said and done, the Concord Cup is really about the kids and their families. "We`re really putting it on for them," says Fuentes. "We want the children and families to have a great fun weekend in Concord and enjoy one of the best youth tournaments there is."

By Rebecca Rogers
Reprinted from Bay Area News Group newspapers