Soccer Fans, Players Turn Out To Support Owasso Community Resources

Players, coaches and fans were at the Owasso Soccer Club Saturday for a tournament benefiting a local charity. With the heat index expected to hit almost 100 degrees, keeping everyone safe in the heat was a priority.

Tournament Director Robert Allen said as many as 6,000 people were expected including players, volunteers and family members. Teams were made up of men, women, girls and boys. There were four-person and six-person teams, and organizers say it's the only tournament of its type in the state. 

It benefited Owasso Community Resources, a non-profit organization that provides food and meets other basic needs for families in Owasso and Collinsville.

The fields and the games are short which should help players in the July heat. 

Games are 24 minutes for players under 12 and 32 minutes for everyone else.  Standard soccer matches are 90 minutes.

They also have water and a first aid station for an estimated 1,500-plus players in Owasso for the Small-Sided Benefit Tournament.

When USA beat Japan 5 to 2 on Sunday to claim their Women's World Cup title, CBS reports it was the most viewed soccer game in the American TV history. And as far as people playing it, stats from U.S. Youth Soccer show more kids are playing soccer than ever before.

Girls make up 48 percent of all players, and out of the states that border Oklahoma, we're only behind Texas and Colorado in participation.

Learn More About Owasso Community Resources