Virginia Beach to Host 30th Anniversary of Sand Soccer Championships

The 30th anniversary of the North American Sand Soccer Championships will be held this weekend, June 7–9, at the Virginia Beach Waterfront with over 800 amateur and professional teams competing in divisions ranging from Under-8 to Over-50.

The event will span almost two miles of beachfront with an estimated 100,000 attendees to the three-day event that includes a vendor village with 60 displays and other sports including beach flag football, beach volleyball and beach kickball. The U.S. Open championship games will be on Friday and Saturday night of the weekend.

“We are excited to welcome thousands of families and friends to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for our 30th anniversary,” said Lauren Bland, NASSC executive director. “Our participants have asked for more festival entertainment and we are excited to deliver a vendor village, nightly entertainment and enhanced beverage options next to our stadium.”

The U.S. Open draws professional men and women beach soccer players from around the country and internationally from Canada, Peru and El Salvador. Two players from last year’s event, Chris Albiston and Austin Collier, represented the U.S. in the most recent FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai.

“We are proud to host another edition of NASSC’s flagship professional division,” said Matt Whalen, tournament director. “Both men’s and women’s brackets are our most competitive in our event’s 30-year history and will surely showcase the best beach soccer our planet has to offer.”

The NASSC is produced by the Hampton Roads Soccer Council. Proceeds go toward developing the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex in Virginia Beach, which has two turf fields with lights and 24 grass fields and hosts events year-round. The festival weekend is estimated to bring in nearly $14 million in economic impact for the city of Virginia Beach.