By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The Needham Soccer Club hosted its 46th Memorial Day Tournament this past Memorial weekend and hosted thousands of players and their families to come together a play the sport they love. The Needham Soccer Club has put on this extravagant tournament for years and hosts many newcomers and several returners as they fall in love with the experience over and over again.
Mark Miskin has been the tournament director since 2007, but his passion and love for the Needham Soccer Club started when he was seven years old: as a soccer player. Going from being a board member, vice president, and president to now executive director and tournament director, Miskin has seen the growth of Needham Soccer Club’s Memorial Day Tournament growth throughout the past several years.
“This was our 46th event for our tournament this year, in the early 2000’s we were 2-300 teams, by 2007 we were at 400- 700, by 2016 we were at over 1100 teams, at that point we were the largest weekend tournament in the country. With other tournaments populating in the area that decreased some of our numbers, but we still averaged 500-600 teams in 2019. Coming out of Covid, we have been bouncing back, this year we had 528 teams. With everyone coming, we host around 20,000 players, friends, and family,” said Miskin.
Welcoming players from all over the country and even international teams in the past, the monumental annual tournament is something that many teams and coaches come back to every year. Age groups of boys’ and girls’ teams ranging from U11 to U19, and even a college showcase for players to participate in.
“We have some pillars of the tournament to have the best fields, best referees, and even best hotels. We have 60 – 70 percent of our tournament come from out of state, with a huge variety of teams coming in all from New England, New Jersey, Chicago, and Colorado, we even have had teams from England, and Canada. They are planning to make their comeback appearance since Covid at next year’s tournament,” said Miskin.
The vast opportunities of competition are endless for players as they compete all weekend long. Although Miskin and the Needham Soccer Club make sure all safety procedures are put in place no matter the weather or match. Partnering with a great team and athletic trainers with Mass General, all players are under good care.
“We have a huge variety of teams; they love coming to us because they get to play teams they don’t see. We have a vast variety of competition. Our tournament does it correctly, to have fun, have great competition, to be fair, have the best athletic trainers. I believe I have the best staff as well; they’re seasoned, they know what they’re doing, and they know how to run the tournament. Our athletic trainers have become a part of Mass General, sports medicine, now Mass General is a part of our tournament, all our fields are nearby the hospital but it’s great to have them part of our partnership,” said Miskin.
Memories that are from these soccer tournaments last forever and the skill sets learned from participating as a player or as a staff member will help professional and personal growth to all, as they continue to adapt and learn every year within the tournament. Some of these memories these players will cherish for a lifetime, like being able to play at Gillette Stadium.
“12 of our lucky teams get to play six games on Gillette stadium, the question that always gets asked is if they’re playing on the practice field or the bubble, when we tell the players it’s actually Gillette field they get so excited,” said Miskin.
The Needham Soccer Club Memorial Day Tournament is an experience, unlike any other tournament weekend for players and their families. To find out more about their tournament next year, check out their website at https://needhamsoccer.com/.
