August 22, 2024
$1.4 Million Raised To Support Athletes’ Soccer Journeys
The annual Houston Youth Cup presented by New York Life allowed teams to continue their pre-season preparations this weekend while raising over $90,000 in support of the club's scholarship fund. Since 2006, this scholarship event has raised $1.4 million, allowing the club to assist families every year to play youth soccer.
"Over the weekend, New York Life had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the incredible dedication that HTX puts into helping young athletes in their community succeed”, said Mychael Nguyen, NYL Managing Partner. "Their values closely align with ours, and we are proud to be a partner. We look forward to continuing our supportive relationship and helping families in their community protect those who matter most while achieving their financial goals.”
"We would like to thank New York Life as the event's title sponsor. To have their staff on-site providing fun activities for the players really added to the positive experience," said Simon Boddison, Director of Soccer Operations. "New York Life understands the importance of youth sports and they are invested in supporting their local community in which they live and work. We look forward to partnering with them throughout the fall season at multiple events."
This year’s tournament hosted over 320 U9-U19 boys and girls teams from all across the region, with matches taking place at eight different sites across The Woodlands and Conroe areas. Over 500+ games were played on first-class facilities at the GotSport ranked event, which allowed each team a minimum of 3 games throughout the weekend along with 2 game scrimmages for certain age groups.
"Thank you to all the teams, coaches, managers, volunteers, referees, and sponsors for all their support of the tournament," said Stuart Taylor, Tournament Director. "It’s the effort from everyone involved that makes this event a great option for teams looking to get a head start before their league play."
Special thanks to our facility partners The Woodlands Township, Conroe Parks & Recreational, Woodlands High School, and Stampede Sports Complex. This pre-season tournament for the area brought an estimated 12,000 spectators to the local community, providing a large economic boost to local hotels and businesses.
"Through our partnership with The Woodlands Township, City of Conroe, and our other sites, the club has the necessary resources and facilities to help make this event a tremendous success," said Simon Boddison, Director of Soccer Operations. "Continuing to host events throughout the year helps us reach three important objectives of providing competitive environments for our players to develop, raising scholarship revenue to support our HTX families and positively impacting the local community economy. It's a win-win for everybody involved."
The club would also like to thank On Location for facilitating the hotel accommodations for the visiting teams, Memorial Hermann for their athletic training support, and Fine Designs for their on-site apparel production.