SYAA holds fifth annual World Cup Tournament
Published 9:00 am Thursday, June 19, 2025
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Last week, the Suffolk Youth Athletic Association (SYAA) held its fifth annual soccer World Cup Tournament. On Friday, June 13, the top teams from each age group battled it out for the #1 spot. There were 24 teams in total. The champions for each age group are as follows:
U9 – Greece
U11 – Belgium
U12 – Germany
U13 – Senegal
U15 – Norway
High school – Ireland
“This is something that nobody does,” said soccer commissioner Vito Basile. “And from the first day to today, it’s just been amazing.”
Basile said the main goal of the tournament is to give the kids a “taste” of the real World Cup.
“We try to mimic the real World Cup as much as we can on a much smaller scale,” he said.
He added the tournament is a great bonding experience for all the players. Even though they are competing against each other, they get time between games to sit together and hang out as friends.
When the kids aren’t playing, Basile said there are skill challenges they can compete in. The winners for each age group get a World Cup soccer ball. An MVP from each bracket is also selected and receives a 2025 World Cup shirt.
Semi-professional players from the Lionsbridge Football Club, based in Newport News, coach the teams and provide some pre-lunch entertainment by scrimmaging.
Basile said all the proceeds from the tournament go toward SYAA scholarships. A $1,500 scholarship is usually awarded to a player who has been with SYAA for at least four years and plans to play soccer at the college level.
This year, he estimated around $15,000 was raised for scholarships.
Basile said the World Cup tournament is “by far” the best event they put on, but one challenge they are facing is lighting. The soccer field lighting isn’t to the point where tournament games can happen at night, Basile said, so they are restricted to playing during daylight hours.
One aspect Basile loves about the tournament is letting the kids represent the country where they or their family is from.
“That’s what makes it even more special,” he said.
