Tournaments
NGS
Coaches Feedback
The following
information was collected from a survey completed by NGS coaches 3/03. The intent of the survey was to give NGS
coaches some feedback to consider when selecting a tournament. The comments
listed below are from NGS coaches. They have been listed anonymously. If you
have any questions or would like to speak directly to the coach who wrote the
evaluation contact Lisa Howe at howefamily@rcn.com.
- Note that while
feedback is from 1 or 2 age groups, the tournaments typically offer
brackets in many more age groups.
Contact organizers directly or go to their website for more
specific information.
- More
information on, and direct links to, the reviewed tournaments, as well as
other Mass Youth Soccer Sanctioned Tournaments, can be found on
the MYSA web site www.mayouthsoccer.org
MEMORIAL DAY TOURNAMENTS
Avon, Ct
- “A top
tournament for a highly competitive team (#1 teams only). It offers games against top town and club
teams from the Northeast. Fields
are beautiful and it is a very well run tournament. The best part is playing against top
competition from out of the BAYS league. Memorial Day tournament.”
- “Was a
great experience for our div 1a U-10 team despite the rain. They play 8V8 at U-10, however, so we
had to augment our roster with a few additional players. Make reservations early.”
Cheshire
- “QVIT
tournament in CT is a good tournament for division 2 teams who want to travel
on Memorial Day. They offer a large
field complex in one location.”
Danvers
- U 10
team feedback: “Fields are smaller than normal 6v6. Teams played 7v7. The confined space was
good practice but in end the Newton team hoped for bigger fields. North
Shore. Division 1 and 2 teams.”
Dartmouth, NH
- U 14
team feedback: “Well worth the effort for div 1 and high div 2. Outstanding fields. Lots of playing
time- 40 minute 1/2s. Beautiful
setting, great competition- lot of VT, NH, ME, and CT teams. Very well
ref’d the town, college, and the experience of overnight travel make it
very special A++.”
Framingham
- U 16 team
feedback:
- “Guarantees
a minimum of 4 full time games, but teams play on multiple days over the
weekend- all three days if you get in to the playoffs.”
- “Mostly
local teams, fields and refs were great.”
Foxboro
- U
10/12 teams feedback:
- “Fields
and goals small but good div 2 or so competition, at high school plenty a
room to have picnic between games.
They usually try tie in something with refs i.e. ticket discount,
player appearance.”
- “Good teams, good fun, good weather.”
Medway
- All
6V6 tournament of U8- U12
- “A
decent local tournament. It was
well run and offered some good competition for our low division 1 U-12 6v6
team. It is very convenient for
teams that don’t want to travel.
All games were at one venue. Memorial Day tournament.”
- “U 10:
easy at 1 venue, good competition for div 2, fields in average shape.”
- “A
very well organized tournament. All
games are conveniently located in one central location. Good food, visits from Breakers’
players. I would recommend it.”
Needham
- “Memorial
Day Tournament. Great for D1 and D2 teams.
It is played on the DeFazio complex and always features good
teams. It is well run and makes it
easy to run home between games.”
Tufts
- U 10
team feedback: “Very friendly and organized and appropriate for div 2 and
3 teams. A couple of fields were
just ok but the main ones were in good shape. Local competition, many from other leagues. Refs were adults and did a great job.”
Wellesley
- U 10
only; 6V6 Memorial Day Tournament
- “Excellent
division 1 tournament, very well organized, good fields, adult refs, and
all games at same venue. Many BAYS teams but also some out of state
teams.”
- “Three
games on Saturday and three more on Sunday with groups adjusted between
days. This makes for very even
competition and exciting games.”
- “You
are there for a full day on both Saturday and Sunday but since all of the
games are at the same site, it’s a lot of fun.”
SUMMER TOURNAMENTS
Franklin
- “Good
competition. Fields are very well
organized and local. Teams were a
combination of town and lower level club.”
- “Your
team’s games are either grouped in the morning or the afternoon so that
you do not have to stay there all day. Excellent referees and well
organized.”
- “Fields
were playable last year despite heavy rains.”
- “Teams
are mostly from south of Boston
so you get to play a number of non-BAYS towns.”
Bay State
Games
- All
ages, 7V7 format
- Summer
tournament
- “This
is a spectacular event. Soccer
fields as far as you can see in every direction. It’s obviously a select tournament. But for those teams qualified, I would
highly recommend it. The
competition is tough, but it’s very well organized and the referees are
good. The only negative is the
food. They have donut and pizza
trucks. You’d be better off
bringing your own.”
North Reading
- Labor
Day Weekend tournament
- “Pre-season
tournament that is a good way to get a couple of games in before the
season.”
- “Entered
div 1 u12 team as the first team event of the year. Competition was variable, but there were
some very strong north shore teams that we normally don’t get a chance to
play. Great way to start the
season.”
FALL TOURNAMENTS
Newton Girls
Soccer Tournament
- Columbus
Day Weekend for u10-u14
- Premier
Columbus Day tournament for top girls teams in New England
Attleboro Ice
Kickers
- All
ages
- Mid-
November at the end of the fall season
- “It seems it’s always freezing cold at
this tournament. Especially when
you have the 8:00 a.m. game. But I guess that’s the point. It’s well organized. We have been there twice. Competition is tough. I would recommend it.”
Mansfield
- “U
11/U12: far enough away to see some non BAYS teams. New complex so fields are nice. Well organized Div 1 and 2 teams.”
- “U-11 team: “Except for the fact that it
rained all day, it was pretty good.
Except 2 out of the 3 teams we played were much better than we
were. We are a div 3 team. Also,
one of the refs didn’t know the rules for 6V6 and called off-sides when
our team made the only goal for that game.”
- “U 12
Columbus Day “The weather was dreadful.
It poured the entire weekend.
But fields were in terrific shape-very playable. The kids had a wonderful time. Food was good and well priced. And the competition was well organized
by ability. Another tournament we
would be happy to return to.”
Natick
- Columbus
Day Tournament
- “Very
well organized. It rained all
weekend and the fields held up very well considering that. Very convenient locations for Newton
families. Close to good restaurants.”
Winchester Cup
- U 10,
6V6, Takes place in early November.
- “2002
was the first time the Winchester
tournament was held and the first tournament for the Newton
girls that attended. The tournament
was well-run on game days, the games went off (reasonably) on schedule,
the refs did a decent job and most importantly, the players enjoyed
themselves. This tournament had two
major flaws: 1) Logistics. The game
schedule changed three times after it was first posted, which made
scheduling for the weekend a major pain.
Also, the Sunday schedule was changed very late on Saturday, which
caused aggravation for the parents and forced the team to miss 2 players
for the last game. 2) Balance. On
Saturday, the Newton team
played two travel teams from Winchester
and Chelmsford. The games were very even. The girls were
pressed and learned a lot. On
Sunday, (after schedule changes), the team played two MAPLE teams. The first game was very closely
contested but the second game, due to rescheduling and injuries, was not
at an appropriate level.”