It was an early Saturday morning in October. Over 400 boys have defied the cold weather to converge at the Rolf Soccer Complex in Maumee, Ohio for one mission – to play the sport they love.
The Toledo Cup, a tournament that gives children ages four to 15 the chance to compete among themselves, has returned for the first time since 2019. The event was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament was put together by Toledo Celtics Soccer Club, a local academy devoted to the development of soccer talents in the Northwest Ohio area.
Apart from Toledo Celtics, young boys from Pacesetters Soccer Club (Toledo), Maumee Express Soccer Club, Vardar Soccer Club (Detroit, Michigan), Erie FC (Pennsylvania), Fort Wayne FC (Indiana), Club Ohio (Columbus), North FC (Cleveland), WNY Flash (Erie, Pennsylvania) and Perrysburg SC Gold (Ohio) were assembled by their coaches and parents to exhibit a high level of competitive soccer.
Purpose of the tournament
The main objective of the tournament was to improve the competitive spirit of the boys and to help their handlers measure their progress.
“The tournament gives our boys the opportunity to play three to four competitive games in two days and also get the chance to compete with other talents from other cities. For instance, this year, we had clubs coming from Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. So, the kids see a different level of soccer”, coach Lee Aliakbar, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Toledo Celtics noted.
He added that “the tournament is about how the boys see a different perspective of the game from different states and cities.”
Even though the participating teams were made to pay an appearance fee between $450 and $550 depending on the year group, coach Aliakbar maintains that “the idea of the tournament is not to make money, it is to help parents of our players to save money because they do not have to travel out of the city to book hotels, buy food, spend on gas to see their kids play competitive soccer. So, the idea is to help the parents to not go out of town and get a good competition here for the kids.”
He was quick to add that the Toledo Cup is one of the cheapest tournaments for kids in the area.
Coach Aliakbar described the two-day event as “a very successful tournament,” adding, “These clubs are well known so the competition was good.”
The Toledo Celtics CEO hinted that organizers are planning to add girls to the competition and that next year’s expanded edition of the tournament will take place in Maumee and Toledo.
“I am sure that our tournament is going to grow. Next year, the boys will play in the reconstructed Schneider Park and the girls will stay at Rolf Park because we are going to get big”, coach Aliakbar added.
He praised the entire staff and executives of Toledo Celtics as well as parents of Toledo Celtics players for their contributions before, during, and after the tournament.
The Toledo Celtics Project
As an affiliate of the United States Soccer Development Academy, the Toledo Celtics believes in player development more than anything else. Coaches of this organization believe that when early development, technical training, and physical fitness are nurtured in a competitive environment, it presents opportunities for the youth player to grow.
Toledo Celtics handlers are committed to providing the best opportunity for young soccer players to compete and learn at the highest level in the region.
“Our goal is to give these kids the best environment and the best time to play soccer and progress to the next level while they go to school. For some of these kids, their next level is high school soccer, some will be the colleges and others could turn professional. How far these kids want to go is in their own hands. But our job is just to make sure that we provide them with the platform and the opportunity for them to grow.
“We have very qualified coaches who know how to impact these kids positively. These coaches understand the game of soccer and also understand the world of these young boys and girls. Our coaches love these kids because, without love for kids, one cannot do this job. Our coaches are always there for these kids”, coach Aliakbar noted.
The Celtic project has produced a couple of professional and semiprofessional soccer players in the area and according to the CEO, the Celtics project has one of the most racially diverse programs in the State of Ohio.
“We give opportunities to every kid no matter their background and at Toledo Celtics, we make sure no kid is left behind. Last year we supported our kids with scholarships in excess of $46,000. So, we make sure that no kid falls behind because of financial difficulties”, he stated.
The CEO was grateful to parents who had entrusted their kids in their hands. He said parents have trusted them and put their loved ones in their hands because, at Toledo Celtics, they see the handling of these kids as a very delicate job.
He was also thankful to the city of Toledo.
“We cannot thank the city of Toledo enough for what they have done for us. The city actually helps us in different ways. They gave us the green light to use Schneider Park and they also allowed us to run summer soccer camps for them”, coach Aliakbar concluded.
