October 8, 2020
Dear Tournament Participants
We received very good news yesterday that the Montgomery County COVID-19 Task Force had approved in writing our ability to hold the Bethesda Premier Cup on the original dates for the following age groups:
GIRLS WEEKEND
U16 – U19/U20
Friday, November 13 – Sunday, November 15 at the Maryland Soccerplex
U15
Saturday, November 14 – Sunday, November 15 at the Maryland SoccerPlex
U13-U14
Saturday, November 14 – Sunday, November 15 at Carsin's Run, Aberdeen
BOYS WEEKEND
U16 – U19/U20
Friday, November 20 – Sunday, November 22 at the Maryland Soccerplex
U15
Saturday, November 21 – Sunday, November 22 at the Maryland Soccerplex
U14
Saturday, November 21 – Sunday, November 22 at the Alexandria Turf Fields
The number of teams/age groups that we were allowed to invite this fall through the approval process was determined by what the committee was comfortable with. As a tournament, we were very committed to making sure that our recruitable age groups could be played since most teams have not had the opportunity to attend any showcases for the past seven months. Please note that the U16 through U19-U20 age groups play a showcase format with one (1) game per day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Games will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday.
We will make every effort to accept every team that has applied for the Premier Cup in the age groups listed above. A more detailed acceptance letter will be sent out no later than the beginning of next week but we will begin accepting teams by the weekend.
Younger Age Groups
While we were disappointed that the younger age groups could not be included this fall, we do have an alternative already set up for those teams. The age groups that are not being held this November will be scheduled in the spring on Friday, April 2nd and Saturday, April 3rd. The great news is that all of those games will be played at the Maryland SoccerPlex, one of the top facilities in the country. Normally those age groups are played on satellite fields, but because of the change in date they can be accommodated at the SoccerPlex. Please note that teams will need to re-apply for the April event but we will reach out directly to all of the teams that are currently signed up.
Out-of-State Teams
Currently Maryland does not have any restrictions on out-of-state teams attending the tournament. We are aware through communication from some teams that have applied that there are states that either have travel restrictions or quarantine requirements for teams traveling to Maryland. While we know that these restrictions/quarantine guidelines are fluid (normally changing every two weeks) we need time to prepare, especially with regards to schedules, so we are asking any out-of-state team to let us know if they cannot travel by the following dates:
Girls Tournament by Thursday, October 15th
Boys Tournament by Thursday, October 22nd
We will not process any payments (with the exception of teams coming from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia – those payments will be processed immediately) until the dates listed above. You must let us know, in writing, if by these dates your team in not allowed to travel and we will unfortunately have to remove your team from the tournament at that time. We certainly will work directly with any team(s) in this situation, knowing that that your state’s restrictions could change after this date on a case-by-case basis.
Tournament Protocols
As with every event and match that are currently being held in the country, the Premier Cup does have protocols that have been approved by the Covid-19 task force that must be adhered to in order for the tournament to move forward. I will be sending you a detailed list of the necessary protocols (I’m sure that none are any different than what you currently are using in your area) but very important that we stress to players and parents the need to follow in order for events to take place in both 2020 and 2021.
One of the most important protocols that have been approved is the need to have a COVID manager for each team that is attending the event. This person cannot be a coach and must be present at all days of the tournament. Currently we are approved to have one parent per player attend each of the tournament games. The COVID manager will be required to make sure that their team is in compliance with all of the protocols during the event. We will have a Zoom call with the COVID managers one week prior to the actual event.
College Coaches
While we understand that there is a moratorium on Division I college coaches attending the event, we still expect a large number of Division II, III, and Junior College coaches to be present. We have contracted with NextPro, a production company, to film all of the recruitable games at the Soccerplex. We will then make these games available to all college coaches to download after the event to see either teams or individual players. These games will also be available, for sale, to any of the teams/families attending for either recruitment/training.
Housing
Visit Montgomery will be our housing coordinator again for the Premier Cup. They are currently working to confirm with the hotel properties rates, amenities, and protocols. They are currently looking at having the housing link live beginning next week. We will send out a reminder on the exact date and time when that becomes available. We have plenty of hotel rooms available so that will not be a problem. Please remember that the Premier Cup is a stay-to-play event and all housing requests must go through Visit Montgomery. They ask for everyone’s patience and please do not contact hotel properties individually.
Thanks again for your confidence in applying for the Premier Cup, we look forward to hosting your team. Please contact me directly if you have any additional questions or concerns.
Brad Roos
Tournament Director
Bethesda Premier Cup
premiercup@bethesdasoccer.org
