FNC Park To Host MSA Soccer Tournament

It’s been 16 months since FNC Park Director Brad Freeman submitted the bid to host the Northern District Soccer Tournament. After a brief reprieve from significant tournament action at the facility thanks to Easter, Freeman and his staff are busy once again.

This weekend, youth soccer players will descend on FNC to take part in the Mississippi Soccer Association’s North District Tournament. It’s one of four going on in the state. The other three will be played in Greenville, Brandon and Gulfport.
FNC earned the bid back in November of 2015, the same time they were also awarded The President’s Cup, an even bigger tournament that will take place May 20-21.
“This is the third or fourth time we’ve done this district tournament, and you work with a lot of the same people for the President’s Cup,” Freeman said. “This district tournament allows for us to get used to how they do things. We’re the host and we do our best to host and cater to their needs of the MSA.”
A mini break was good for the facility. There was new sod placed in the commons area of The Graduate Quad, just in time for the tournament.
“We haven’t been able to sod in there because we’ve been so busy. It gave us a chance to rehab those areas,” Freeman said. “So, it was nice to have some time to fix stuff.”
The weekend of Double Decker, there are 95 teams coming to town for another baseball event.
This year’s Northern District will feature approximately 40 teams, and there is a break scheduled on Saturday so that any of the teams can watch the Ole Miss women’s soccer team host Auburn. On Sunday, a handful of the soccer team will be at the tournament to sign autographs.
“That’s something unique that we can do with the city and university relationship. It’s pretty cool for the teams, a good add on,” Freeman said.
There is rain forecast for the weekend, and bad weather is always a possibility. Freeman said that will be evaluated.
“You try not to make a decision too early. Generally, our rule of thumb is the event is on until weather forces our hand,” Freeman said. “Looking back on our early career, we cancelled an event and it didn’t rain. That’s the last thing we want to do. We’ll see what happens and keep an eye out for everything.”
There are six teams, both boys and girls, from the Oxford Park Commission that will be taking part in the event in four different age divisions. There will be two Under 10 Boys League teams, two U-12 Boys League and a girls’ team from U-10 and U-12.

Courtesy of John Davis and the Oxford Park Commission
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