DALLAS CUP GIRLS DIVISION CONTINUES TO GROW STRONGER

By Stephen Evans

If Easter is approaching, that means some of the best youth soccer in the world is ascending on Dallas. Dallas Cup, the oldest and most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in North America, takes over Dallas April 2-9, featuring more than 900 international players and attracting more than 100,000 spectators during tournament week.

Several of the world’s most prestigious clubs have participated in the Dallas Cup, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, River Plate, “Chivas”, Flamengo, Boca Juniors, Club America, PSG, and AC Milan, among others. Dallas Cup has also seen some of the biggest soccer stars in the world play in the tournament. The list of alumni includes soccer legends like David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Wayne Rooney, Chicharito,

Raul, and Andrea Pirlo, as well as rising stars in the game like Ricardo Pepi, Alphonso Davies, Bukayo Saka, and Weston McKennie.

As important as the star power featured during the tournament, the 2021 Dallas Cup was highlighted by the return of girls brackets with the inaugural playing of the Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational presented by Mary Kay. Prior to 2021, Dallas Cup last featured girls on the pitch in 1996.

Incorporating the girls brackets back into the tournament was a meaningful addition according to Dallas Cup executive director Peter Davis.

“It’s tough to overstate the importance of Dallas Cup continuing to expand our girls’ competition,” Davis said. “Girls’ soccer is thriving, particularly here in North Texas, and we want to ensure that the Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational provides the best possible platform for female players to showcase their skills, compete at the highest level against global competition, and experience the unique atmosphere and culture that has surrounded Dallas Cup since 1980.”

Dallas Cup has steadily increased the number of girls teams each year since 2021. The 2023 tournament will have four girls age brackets with 44 girls’ teams expected to compete in Under-15 through Under-19 divisions, a 30% increase compared to the 2022 tournament.

“We are proud to welcome six international girls’ teams from five countries - Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Mexico - in 2023,” Davis added, “which is a great step for continuing to globalize the Girls’ Invitational.”

Mary Kay, an international Dallas-based brand, is the presenting sponsor of the Girls’ Invitational and has taken a lead role in supporting the return of the girls’ division of Dallas Cup.

“For nearly six-decades, Mary Kay has blazed a trail opening doors for millions of women around the world, and we are incredibly thankful they opened one of those doors to the youth soccer world back in 2021,” Davis said. “I can’t understate how great they have been to work with and how excited they always are to talk about Dallas Cup with us. From providing our girls participants with a welcome gift to helping fill our stands and extending our marketing reach with great social media content, Mary Kay has been an outstanding partner and a force behind the development of our girls’ event. We love having them on board.”

In addition to the growth of the girls brackets, Dallas Cup will feature some new partnerships and areas of improvement this year.

“In 2023, some of our biggest areas of improvement are specifically designed for our participants and teams to enjoy off the pitch,” Davis said. “We’ve teamed up with GG8, a Frisco-based technology company that uses artificial intelligence to track players by number and break down video to provide an incredible array of player insights and data specifically designed for youth soccer. To make this possible, we’re filming every single game during the 2023 Dallas Cup, which is also a first.

“Then, we will provide the game video and analytics to each team as part of their registration fee for the tournament this year. To house all of this video, we’re also launching a new website that’s going to be like Netflix for all things Dallas Cup. Players, parents, and scouts will be able to visit this website to view games throughout the tournament. Plus, we’ve got some great educational sessions happening during the tournament. Participants can attend coaching or referee symposiums, learn about college recruitment and NIL opportunities, and more. And don’t worry, our lineup of teams, international referees, and venues is still top-notch. We’re not messing with a good thing when it comes to on-the-pitch action.”

Dallas’ annual youth soccer extravaganza is expected to include teams and referees from more than 30 countries and representing six continents, making Dallas Cup one of the city’s most internationally diverse annual events. Additionally, FC Dallas will have teams competing in each of the 13 age brackets across both boys and girls divisions.

The action begins on Sunday, April 2, at Cotton Bowl Stadium with a triple header of matches featuring teams from four different continents, including a 19U Girls’ Invitational match. Along with the exciting contests, Sunday will include the Dallas Cup Opening Ceremonies and the Welcome World parade of nations. For more information visit DallasCup.org