Seattle United

The summer tournament season is in full swing throughout Washington State. This weekend, August 3-5, Seattle United hosts the 2012 Seattle Cup Premier tournament at Starfire in Tukwila, WA. 156 teams from across Washington state, Idaho and Montana will play in a round robin format, with finals on Sunday.

All of our teams have played in at least one tournament so far this summer. Most teams play in three tournaments between June and August with some in as many as six tournaments.

Zambian Youth Soccer

Seattle United was invited and is participating in a U.S. State Department and World Affairs Council-sponsored event that will bring 12 Zambian youth soccer coaches and players to Seattle this weekend. In addition to participating in a nonprofit seminar organized by these two host organizations, Seattle United will provide this Zambian youth soccer club with used gear. Phase One of our used gear plan includes sharing used cleats and balls. Phase Two will include a used uniform collection program that we will roll out in September.

The club is organizing a pre-season cleat exchange later this month (dates to follow). In order for the cleat exchange to be a success we are asking parents and players attending this weekend's Seattle Cup tournament at Starfire to bring gently-used cleats and used balls on Saturday for collection by our volunteers. All remaining cleats following the exchange, along with used uniforms collected in September, will be sent to Zambia. An offer from a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit will pay for all Seattle-to-Zambia shipping charges.

For now, we ask that all teams participating at this weekend's Seattle Cup tournament bring used cleats and balls for donation. Please see details below, and thank you for your participation:

• WHAT: Cleat and ball collection (please, no uniforms at this time)
• WHEN: Saturday, August 4, 2012; 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM
• WHERE: Starfire Sports Complex, Field 1 and Fields 9 and 10
• OTHER INFO: Please tie laces together and clean cleats of dirt. Microorganisms in our soil may be different than Zambian soil and disrupt the ecological balance there.

Special thanks to the volunteers who are leading this effort: Ian Glass, Connie Long, John Morgan and SU Coach Chalise Baysa and her G97 Copa and G01 Tango teams.