The 13th annual Veterans Invitational Soccer Tournament (VIT) begins this weekend. As in years past, the tournament will run for the next two weekends at Goebel Soccer Complex. The girls’ tournament begins Friday, November 7 through Sunday, November 9, 2014. The boys’ tournament will begin the following Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16, 2014. Teams from eight states will travel to participate in one of the most popular end-of-the-year tournaments in the Midwest.
In 2001, VIT began on the first weekend in November hosting local and regional soccer teams in a format designed to attract college scouts to watch high profile players compete with each other for the last time before recruitment. The success and popularity of the tournament increased year to year after the opening of the Goebel Soccer Complex. In 2007, the organizers made the bold decision to split the tournament into two weekends to accommodate more teams. Since then, Evansville hosts this tournament on the first two weekends in November.
the Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau congratulates the VIT organizers for their continued dedication to this successful tournament that attracts more than 3,500 people to Evansville. Players from Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee and other states will travel here with their teams and families. The roads, restaurants, attractions and shopping malls will be crowded and hotels will be filled. These busy weekends will generate more than $3 million into the local economy. According the Evansville CVB’s calculations, this tournament has contributed nearly $14 million in its history.
The Opening Ceremony will begin at noon on Friday, November 7 at Goebel Soccer Complex. Opening remarks by Mayor Lloyd Winnecke will be followed by this year’s keynote speaker Major David Minks from the Salvation Army. Major Minks will talk about one of the unsung heroes of WWII – the Donut Girls. The public is invited to attend. (Media is invited to the luncheon that follows.)
For more information on the tournament, contact Amy Weber at 812-457-6963. For further information about the impact of the sports industry for our county, call Bob Warren or Laura Libs at 812-421-2200.
