VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- A June staple of the Oceanfront is celebrating its 30th anniversary this weekend and will draw plenty of crowds.
The North American Sand Soccer Championships will kick off, bringing 10,000 athletes from across the country to Virginia Beach. The event features 66 fields stretched across 30 blocks of the Oceanfront. Set-up was in full swing on the beach Wednesday afternoon.
"We've been planning this for a full year, we put a lot of hours behind us, got a lot of planning behind us and now it's just putting the whole beach together," said Matt Whalen, director of operations for the championships.
Whalen's father, Dick, was a founder of this event 30 years ago. Since its inception, organizers have seen it do nothing but grow.
"The first year had about 25 teams or so and over the years it's ballooned all the way up to over 800 teams that participate," pointed out Lauren Bland, executive director of the Hampton Roads Soccer Council.
"We live in a really vibrant soccer community," added Whalen. "To us, it's kind of a no-brainer that we've had the success that we've had. It grows every year because there's a whole other generation of kids coming up to play soccer and once they kind of get the bug and come down here and play when they're seven, eight years old, we've got them until they're 40."
All levels and all ages of soccer skill will be on display. First-timers all the way up to professionals will take the sand in hopes of winning a championship. The US Open professional event will also be taking place.
This festival, however, is for more than just soccer lovers. Side sports, such as flag football, kickball and volleyball will be part of the action and anybody can go down to the Oceanfront and have a good time. DJ's, nightly entertainment and music and vendors are all included.
"You don't even have to like soccer to come down here," exclaimed Bland. "Just come down for great weather, great vibes, it's upbeat, super friendly, everybody's welcome and it's free and open to the public."
The North American Sand Soccer Championships get going Friday morning at 10:00 AM and run through Sunday.
