Danvers Youth Soccer Saluting Soldiers Festival

from Mass Youth Soccer Quarterly - December 2022

A Tribute to Dave Coutts

We asked Jeffrey Chambers, Director-at-Large a few questions about the Danvers Youth Soccer Saluting Soldiers Festival...

Can you give a brief background on the Danvers Soccer Saluting Soldiers Festival?

The original idea for the Festival was the result of discussions following the annual Danvers Invitational Tournament held each May. People commented on how much fun it was for the younger kids even though the DIT focuses on older competitive groups. A group spent about a year putting together a plan to host an event that focused on younger players having fun, could be held on one site and be done to benefit a local community organization. Once the selection of Veterans Day weekend was established, the partnership with Operation Troop Support was a natural connection. OTS provides an Honor Guard for opening ceremonies each day, joined by our referees and members of the high school band and choral groups.

The first event was held in 2006 and has been held every year except for 2020 due to the pandemic. We have been fortunate to receive support from our referee community, our awards and apparel vendor Blanch and Son, and LazerLines has provided field lining at no charge since the beginning. The Town of Danvers has always made sure the fields were in great shape, helped move goals from other fields and provided dumpsters or trucks at no charge. We also receive amazing support from Essex County Youth Soccer Association helping to promote the event, reaching out to referees, towns and coaches and providing equipment in the form of tents, tables, chairs and other needed items. Volunteers from the DYS Board, coaches and parents, high school students and using all-volunteer referees, along with our vendor support have allowed DYS to donate almost $150,000 to OTS over the years. The donation is used to pay for holiday mailing/ shipping expenses of the OTS program.

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Boston Chidren's Hospital our Official Hospital and Child Safety Sponsor was also able to be on site!

I see that all net proceeds will be donated to Operation Troop Support, can you explain what this organization is/does?

Operation Troop Support was founded in 2003 to provide care packages and family support to active duty service personnel stationed overseas and in US military hospitals around the world. More info about OTS is here: https://www. operationtroopsupport.org/

What items are collected for troops during this tournament?

Items collected are primarily personal care items along with books and stable snacks/candies. One of the most important things collected are the greeting cards that the players fill out at the fields to be sent.

Why is it important to Danvers Youth Soccer to hold this tournament each year?

The event is important in a very practical sense in that OTS needs the funding for mailing costs. There are no discounts provided by USPS or other carriers despite the invaluable service they provide to deployed service personnel. It also gives DYS a chance to give back to the community, teach kids about the meaning of Veterans Day, and provide the players a chance to be the focus of an event while offering the opportunity to meet and play against other towns and opponents that they wouldn’t normally see.

What are some memorable moments from the Danvers Youth Soccer Saluting Soldiers Festival?

There are lots of memorable moments, many dealing with New England weather, setting up tents in 50 mph gusts, rescheduling to avoid unsafe wind chills, proving hydration and sunblock on 70 degree days. Hearing the cheers for opponents when the medals (dog tags) are handed out. Seeing the kids waiting patiently in line to write holidays cards to the troops. Having entire teams show up with bags full of donated items. Seeing them play with great sportsmanship and joy just for the sake of playing, with no championships or trophies at stake.