VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The North American Sand Soccer Championships brings more than 800 soccer teams to the Oceanfront by 28th street. Teams across several divisions come from all over the world.
SoCal Legacy was in a close match against Pops FC, taking the game with a narrow 6-5 advantage. With the win, SoCal Legacy moved on to the quarterfinals in their division.
“Never a bad day when you top the group,” said Mateo Citron, who plays with the San Diego based team.
When it comes to sand soccer, Citron told us it takes a lot more technical ability.
“You need a very good balance of athleticism, skill, ability to control the ball in the air,” he explained. “It really teaches players to control the ball with different parts of their body, which when you take that to the grass game, it makes you that much better of a player.”
FIFA referees join them on the beach, like Zainuddin Sharifi who came in from Afghanistan. Playing soccer on the sand provides a more fast paced game, typically yielding more goals than in a typical setting.
It is a festival-like atmosphere, free to spectators with plenty to see. There are 66 soccer fields along the beach, stretching for more than two miles according to NASSC Executive Director, Lauren Bland.
“It’s a party vibe,” Bland described. “We’ve got music up and down the boardwalk, our stadium is pumping music all weekend. We have a great beer tent. Our stadium will have about 3,000 folks centered around it for our evening games.”
Seasoned players like Citron agree, the hospitality at Virginia Beach is unmatched.
“I’ve been to a lot of tournaments around the world and this takes the cake for me,” he said. “This is an amazing tournament, an amazing atmosphere, you cannot beat it whatsoever.”
The North American Sand Soccer Championships will run through Sunday night.