Published: May 06, 2008 11:28 pm         

Moore soccer tournament gets under way Saturday

Bigger and better than ever, Beckley’s showcase travel soccer event, the Darrell Moore Memorial Soccer Tournament, kicks off Saturday morning at the YMCA’s Youth Sports Complex on Grey Flats Road.

A total of 72 teams, up from 53 last year, will compete in the tournament, which is presented by the Beckley-Raleigh County YMCA and sponsored by Chick-fil-A.

“We have teams from Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia, and we’re able to offer (the tournament) to more teams from within West Virginia,” tournament director Jason Reger said.

With gasoline prices higher than ever, the Moore tournament is an attractive alternative to traveling out of state.

The schedule includes teams from Wheeling, Elkins, Marion County and Marietta, Ohio, in addition to returnees from Huntington and Charleston.

“We have a lot of teams who haven’t been here in recent years,” Reger said. “They’re trying to find tournaments closer to home.”

Even with the influx of teams from around the state, the Beckley-based West Virginia Rapids and clubs from the Greenbrier Valley and Fayette County will give a strong local flavor to the tournament.

It’s a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love as well for the YMCA.

Reger said, “The reason we built the complex is to give local teams a home tournament and to bring outside teams to the area to see what Beckley and southern West Virginia have to offer.”

There are nine divisions for boys, including under-9 and under-11 for the first time at the tournament, and six for girls.

Matches will be played on the YMCA’s eight lighted fields, each of which has its own scoreboard. One field will be divided into two fields for the under-9 and under-10 teams.

Action starts at 8 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. A church service will be held Sunday morning at the food pavilion.

A small army of volunteers will work the scoreboards, man the concession stand and work as field marshals. Reger said even more are needed.

“If anyone who wants to help, we can definitely put them to work,” he said. “We’re trying to get the complex looking its best, and we’ll have a big push for mowing grass Friday if it rains Thursday.”

The tournament honors the memory of Darrell Moore, who was one of the area’s top supporters of youth and high school soccer.

— E-mail:

dstillwell@register-herald.com