A Premier Family Event: the national soccer festival

Business People, Mar 2008 by Bogle, Mary Jane

What Fort Wayne fans once knew as the IPFW Soccer Showcase as grown into a nationally recognized, independent collegiate sporting event, poised to take its place as one of the premier festivals in the city. With fourteen nationally recognized teams, multiple sponsors and a projected crowd of thousands, the festival promises more than just a soccer tournament; it's a family event that will appeal to all ages and interests.

"You don't have to be a die-hard soccer fan to find excitement at this festival," says Terry Stefankiewicz, president of National Soccer Festival Inc.

The addition of live music, youth soccer clinics and food vendors ensures that the place to be April 11 and 12 is IPFW's Hefner Soccer Complex, where you can join fans from across the nation in cheering prestigious college soccer teams in match ups carefully selected to bring the best games to Fort Wayne.

"There's something for everyone," says Nicole Halls, former IPFW soccer player and Stefankiewicz's assistant.

Festival History

What began as an idea in Stefankiewicz's living room nine years ago quickly grew to a premier pre-season soccer invitational for NCAA Division I players.

"I was watching the National Invitation Tournament (college basketball) when it hit me," Stefankiewicz says. "We should have something like this for soccer."

He quickly garnered support from his former coach and Indiana University soccer legend Jerry Yeagley. With Yeagley's top-ranked Indiana University soccer team on board, teams like Duke, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Michigan were quick to follow, and the IPFW Soccer Showcase was born.

After a successful seven-year run, Stefankiewicz developed a non-profit organization and changed the tournament into an independent event in the fall of 2007. Many of the same teams that battled it out at the Soccer Showcase arrived again last fall at the Fort Wayne Sport Club for bragging rights among their peers at the National Soccer Festival. The fall festival took place the weekend before the season started, giving teams the chance to scout out competition, remove kinks in their game and fine tune their skills in front of large crowds.

Spring Match Ups

This spring the National Soccer Festival returns to the Hefner Soccer Complex at IPFW and will host six of the nation's top 20 teams, including Ohio State University, currently ranked number two in the nation. With teams from Indiana University, Notre Dame, Michigan State and the University of Michigan, as well as IPFW and Indiana Tech, the festival is sure to please a wide range of fans.

"Whether or not you follow college soccer, the festival is a great way to see players from your favorite university up close," says Stefankiewicz.

Unlike the fall's pre-season format, match ups at the spring festival count as one of five season games. In addition to playing hard for another season win, players can earn starting spots for the next season, ensuring strong performances for fans. The spring festival also presents fresh teams to play. Case in point is the much-anticipated showdown between Indiana University and Notre Dame on Saturday, April 12.

"I don't know of any other time when Indiana University and Notre Dame face off in the city of Fort Wayne," says Stefankiewicz.

National Recognition

Word about this successful event is spreading. Last fall organizers received an email from a woman in Los Angeles, California, who was looking for hotel recommendations for her and her son, an up-and-coming youth soccer star.

"Where else can I bring my son to see all these teams play in one weekend?" she asked.

Her sentiment was mirrored in other calls and emails from across the nation. Organizers counted 26 different state license plates in parking lots at last fall's event. They expect no less this spring.

Youth Soccer Advancement

One key to the event's success is its appeal to youth.

"Our mission is for youth soccer players to witness the highest level of collegiate soccer with an up-close and personal touch," says Stefankiewicz.

The festival provides multiple opportunities for kids to rub elbows with their college heroes, including soccer clinics, world cup entries - where kids walk out on the field with college teams before the game - and autograph and photo sessions after each competition.

"It's an awesome moment for the kids and their parents," says Halls, who knows firsthand the value of a college soccer scholarship. "One of our goals is to help youth see how soccer can be part of their futures, too."

She is personally invested in several younger players herself.

"One of my trainees got to walk out with the Notre Dame and Virginia players last fall," she says. "Seeing her excitement made all the hours of planning this event worth it."

Community Involvement

And Halls is not alone. Weekend volunteers from the fall event became weekly committee members for the spring, helping organize everything from fundraising and concessions to parking. From fall to spring, the Stefankiewicz/ Halls long-term planning team of two turned into five committees with over 20 members, who have been charged with mobilizing a volunteer workforce big enough to pull off the event.