Soccer Cup prep continues

More than 130 youth soccer teams will participate in the 14th annual Aiken Soccer Cup.

The two-day event will begin Saturday and continue through Sunday. The tournament, being hosted by the Georgia-South Carolina Bulls, draws thousands to Aiken each year.

The GA-SC Bulls began in 2008 with the merging of the Columbia County Patriots, the North Augusta Soccer Club and Aiken Soccer Club. The club is a part of the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club organization.

This year the games will be played at Powderhouse Fields, Winthrop Fields and Whitney Polo Fields.

According to Kim Bryan, the vice president of Aiken Soccer Cup, holding the tournament at the polo fields is a big draw for the event. "You really get a nice feel for the tournament," she said. "The fields are in great shape."

Since the fields offer a large amount of open space, Bryan said many games are able to be played all at once.

Teams from South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina will participate in the tournament for children and teens ages 7-19. Jeff Welch, who serves as housing director of the tournament and is the president and CEO of Tournament Office Inc., said about 600 hotel rooms in Aiken and about 700 rooms throughout the CSRA have already been reserved for the Aiken Cup.

"The one thing I'm hearing from people about what is drawing them to the tournament is that the fields are in great condition. The small-town feel of Aiken also helps bring people to this event," said Welch.

In the two-day span, the Aiken Soccer Cup brings in about $500,000 in tourism to the CSRA each year.

"This event is not only great for players and visitors, but it is good for the community as well," said Bryan.

While the event brings in big dollars to the area, they don't always come back to the organization, said Bryan, which she said causes some of its programs to suffer.

This year, Aiken Cup organizers are looking to partner with other local businesses and are offering sponsorships to businesses and restaurants who would like to advertise on club's website.

Bryan said the website holds important information for teams involved in the tournament and could be a key advertising tool for local businesses.

"Businesses can give us a coupon, and we can scan it into the system, and the soccer parent can print off the coupon from the website and take it to the business," said Bryan.

Business cards can be uploaded on the website, as well. Other types of sponsorships are welcome for the event, said Bryan.

"We know we help the community; we would like the community to help us back with sponsorships to keep this program thriving," she said.

For more information or to become a sponsor, visit www.aikensoccercup.org. For more information about the club, visit www.ga-scbulls.com.

Contact April Bailey at abailey@aikenstandard.com.