Agreement forms SWMO United, begins annual Friendship Cup

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Springfield, MO – A new partnership between two local soccer clubs will offer Southwest Missouri youth a unique new opportunity to develop as players and experience elite competition.

FC Springfield and the Fair Grove Soccer Academy have entered into a sister club agreement that will offer their players additional playing opportunities and give both clubs’ elite players the opportunity to experience top-notch competition.

Under the partnership, both clubs will field separate teams, just as they do now, that will play league and tournament play as determined by each team.

However, every year the FGSA and FC Springfield will play in various tournaments around the state under the joint banner of SWMO United. Players will be selected for the SWMO United team based on commitment and ability, giving the best players from both clubs a chance to experience a higher level of competition.

“Hopefully this will allow our best players the opportunity to play against really challenging competition without feeling like they have to go someplace else, leaving their friends and teammates to get that experience,” Cliff Nurnberg, FC Springfield Director of Coaching, said.

The two club’s independent teams will also compete in a series of inter-club friendlies each season between age-compatible teams in a Friendship Cup format. The winner of the most games in this series will take home the Friendship Cup until the following season.

“I think this is a great opportunity for both clubs to continue to grow and offer our players better and better opportunities,” FGSA’s Director of Coaching Logan Hoffman said. “Both clubs have very similar coaching philosophies and beliefs about player development. This will give our players a chance to experience more within the game of soccer than they ever have before.”