Como HS Explores New Soccer Tournament
A tournament for soccer players from various Saint Paul immigrant communities is being organized for this spring at Como Park Senior High School. The “All Nations Cup” would feature ad hoc teams in a round-robin tournament that could be a fund-raiser for the high school teams, coach Jonah Fields told the Como Community Council’s Neighborhood Relations Committee on Feb. 4.
Fields is organizing the tournament with former players and students of his, and with representatives from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. “Soccer is something the cultures have in common,” Fields says. “We’re all planning on this being an inclusive, positive, and proactive thing in our community.”
The tournament has commitments from Eritrean, Hmong, Karen, Karenni, Mexican, Nepali, Oromo, and Somali players, Fields says. All those communities have their own tournaments, but this is an opportunity to bridge cultures, he says.
The tournament would be at the high school’s outdoor athletic field. Teams would play in two brackets of round-robin matches the weekend of May 30-31, with games scheduled from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. each day. Elimination games would be the weeknights of June 2, 3 and 5, with games scheduled from 5:30-9:30 p.m. The final would be at 1 p.m. Saturday June 6.
The school’s soccer teams would sell concessions, Fields says, and there likely will be a small admission fee. He expects the tournament will use loudspeakers only for the final game.
Saint Paul Public Schools will have to approve the tournament. The full Como Community Council endorses the proposal at Feb. 18’s monthly board meeting.