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EVENT DETAILS

The World’s Largest Sand Soccer Festival

Welcome to the exciting world of Sand Soccer and beautiful Virginia Beach, VA! If you enjoy sun, sand, and surf with your soccer – this IS the place to enjoy a fun and memorable weekend with your soccer family.

The Hampton Roads Soccer Council, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and our affiliate soccer clubs look forward to spending the best weekend of the year with you in June. Kick off your summer in Virginia Beach with us at the North American Sand Soccer Championships!

To participate simply round up friends, register your team, design some fun shirts, and get your sand socks ready. Our event is all about FUN without the pressure of tryouts and league standings. Regular registration is open from early January until mid-April. Teams may be accepted later if divisions have openings. Late fees apply for all late registrations.

The North American Sand Soccer Championship (NASSC) is a stay-to-play event. Hotels for 2024 are available now! Be sure to watch check our Registration Guide below for festival deadlines.

Here’s what you’ll find:

9
THREE DAY BEACH FESTIVAL
9
PRO TEAMS (MEN AND WOMEN)
9
YOUTH TEAMS (U8-U19)
9
ADULT TEAMS (COLLEGE, OPEN, 30+, 40+, 50+)
9
COED TEAMS (HIGH SCHOOL, OPEN, 30+)

TEAMS

MATCHES

YEARS IN ACTION

LEADING THE WAY IN THE U.S.A.

NASSC is first come-first in by date of receipt of online application and entry fee. The single exception is the Pro division (men’s and women’s) where entry is based on team composition and history and additional entry material is forwarded by the tournament to those Pro teams showing interest in entering the U.S. Open.

Sand fields are marked by 25×35 yard grids, for two teams of 5 players (U8/U9 age groups have 6 players each on the field at once). Men’s and women’s competitive and elite divisions may be scheduled on larger field sizes for all games (30×40 yard grids). All teams within the division will compete on the same size field throughout the competition. The fast-paced sport has limited dribbling, and an average of 60 shots on goal per match. 

There are over 80 brackets seeded to support all levels of play – from the beginner to the most professional. Sand soccer‘s rules are easy to pick up and uniforms are “anything-goes”.

Staged over 25 full city blocks of prime oceanfront real estate, the championships take place on over a mile and a half of white sand. Thousands of boardwalk spectators enjoy live music and great food and, when day is done, participants and fans head out to the resort’s unbelievable lineup of regional entertainment.

Many national/regional sponsors and advertisers graciously support the festival. New corporate teammates are always welcomed and may view our sponsors page to learn about partnership opportunities or contact us for more information.

REGISTRATION GUIDE

DEADLINES

  • April 15th – All team fees due (late fee applies to unpaid teams and late registrations after April 15th)
  • May 1st – 
    • deadline for request to change competition level or age group – must be in writing; no guarantees.
    • deadline for schedule requests – must be in writing; no guarantees.
    • last day to change team name – name changes are done from your team dashboard.
  • May 15th – late team registration ends. All registrations received after this date will be placed on a waitlist and contacted only if NASSC can accept the team. Payment will be due upon acceptance.
  • May 24th – Team check-in opens – once manager’s verify all players & coaches have been invited to the team AND have completed their individual registration materials, they may check the team in.
  • June 3rd – All rosters lock automatically at the end of the day.
    • no team members can be added once rosters lock.
    • only players & coaches who completed their individual registration materials will appear on the official roster.
    • persons who do not complete their registration materials will not be allowed to participate.
  • June 4th – Last day for team managers to complete team check-in.

YOUTH AGE GROUPS

Player must be born on or after January 1st of the following birth years:

* Youth players may play up in age e.g. a U8 (under 8 years) player may participant on a U9 team.

*  Age groups may be combined at NASSC discretion.

**  COED High School – Players must be at least 14 years old by Friday, June 7, 2024 and must attend high school as a student for the 2023/2024 school year.  

* All teams in a Coed division must meet minimums for females – see Tournament Rules.

Girls may participate on boys’ teams. We do not have youth coed divisions other than our high school coed division. However, girls/women are allowed to roster on a team in a boys/men’s division without the team having to meet the roster requirements applicable to teams in a coed division.

IMPORTANT

  • Team managers must ensure all players on the team are in the correct age group and otherwise eligible per event rules. Teams entering the wrong age group are not guaranteed acceptance upon correction. No exceptions will be made for over-age players.  

  • Deadlines apply for making changes to age group. See Deadlines tab in Event Details Resource Guide.

  • Any team found to have players in violation of age parameters in any division will forfeit all games played and be eliminated from the competition. If age violations are noted prior to the start of competition the team may be moved to another division at tournament discretion IF room in an appropriate division is available. No refund will be offered if tournament is unable to move the team to another division.

  • All teams, in High School divisions and below, are required to have an adult (over 25) on their team sideline during all games. The adult must be registered with the team as either a manager and/or coach.

  • We recommend all youth teams have a minimum of TWO manager/coaches.

  • Coach substitutions or stand-bys  must be registered with the team prior to participation.

  • Younger managers/coaches are allowed but must be accompanied on the player sideline by another rostered coach over the age of 25.

 

ADULT AGE GROUPS

College Divisions – Players must be between ages 16 to 24 on Friday, June 7, 2024

Open Divisions – Players must be Age 16 or older by Friday, June 7, 2024

Over 30 Divisions – Players must be Age 30 or older on or before Friday, June 7, 2024

Over 40 Divisions – Players must be Age 40 or older on or before Friday, June 7, 2024

Over 50 Divisions (Men’s) – Players must be Age 48 or older on or before Friday, June 7, 2024

Women may participate on men’s teams.

Coed divisions must meet minimums for females – see Tournament Rules

Divisions may be combined at NASSC discretion.

YOUTH DIVISIONS

Register your team in the competition level appropriate for your highest level player.

      • RECREATIONAL – Team roster consists of players who participate in in-house recreation programs ONLY or do not play soccer for any program/school. 
        • Not allowed: teams with one or more TRAVEL PLAYERS and/or ADVANCED PLAYERS, and players who compete in cross-association programs are NOT allowed to register in this division. 
        • NO EXCEPTIONS.
      • LOWER COMPETITIVE – Team roster consists of one or more players who participate in advanced or lower-level travel leagues (e.g. TASL, Advanced, Development Academy, Jr. Academy, and similarly aligned program/league).
        • Not intended for: players who participate in leagues including NPL, ECNL, CCL, MLS NEXT and similarly aligned leagues/programs.
        • Roster may include players who participate in an in-house recreational program.
      • UPPER COMPETITIVE – Team roster consists of one or more players who participate in upper-level travel leagues (e.g. NPL and similarly aligned program/league).
        • Not intended for: players who participate in leagues including ECNL, CCL, MLS NEXT and similarly aligned leagues/programs.
        • Roster may include players who participate in an in-house recreational program or programs as described for our Lower Competitive division.
      • ELITE – Team roster consists of one or more players who participate in high-level travel leagues (e.g. ECNL Regional/National, MLS NEXT, and similarly aligned program/league).
        • Roster may include players who participate in programs as described for any of our other competition levels.

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Honesty in team ranking is essential!

Teams that have competed strongly in previous NASSC competitions are encouraged to find a bigger challenge by competing in a higher level.

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** IMPORTANT – YOUTH RECREATIONAL DIVISIONS **

It removes the fun from the event for the other teams when this rule is disregarded. 

Teams found to have travel players rostered prior to the start of the competition will be moved to another division at tournament discretion IF room in an appropriate division is available.   No refund will be offered if tournament is unable to move the team to another division. Violations after the start of competition will forfeit all games played and the team will be eliminated from the competition.

If you have any doubts about whether a player is a travel player contact us at info@sandsoccer.com

** MUST READ for all YOUTH RECREATIONAL teams **

Read all of the following information, applicable to all YOUTH RECREATIONAL divisions.

        • Eligibility for our Recreational division has changed. Youth Recreational & Advanced players ONLY.  
        • A youth recreational team may NOT have any players who have registered as a carded player on any advanced or travel team, program, or league during the 2023-2024 seasonal year. No exceptions will be made to this rule.
        • Players participating in 2023-2024 with teams or in programs or leagues referred to as Travel Lite, Advanced, Development or Junior Academy, Competitive, Select, Premier, Elite, or similar, where players normally compete above a recreational level are not eligible to participate in NASSC Youth Recreational divisions.
        • Players who participate in advanced or travel programs/leagues including, but not limited to ODP, ECNL, NPL, USSDA, CCL, MLS NEXT or similarly aligned programs or leagues competing at an advanced or higher level are not eligible to participate in NASSC Youth Recreational divisions.
        • Players who play with a recreational team and have also been carded as an advanced or travel player during the 2023-2024 season, whether or not they participate with the advanced or travel team, are not allowed in the NASSC Youth Recreational divisions.

** IMPORTANT TO NOTE **

      • Team managers must carefully look at each player’s program participation and ensure they are not in any way part of an advanced or travel program\league.
      • Teams found to have advanced or travel players rostered prior to the start of competition will be moved to another division at tournament discretion IF room in an appropriate division is available.
      • No refund will be offered if tournament is unable to move the team to another division.
      • A team violating this registration criteria shall have their games subject to forfeiture, may not be eligible for any playoffs, and may be removed from competition. No refund will be given.

ADULT DIVISIONS

Register your team in the competition level appropriate for your highest level player.

We reserve the right to combine skill levels based on the number of teams entered in each division.

  • College Recreational – Lowest level of competition
  • College Competitive – Average level of competition
  • College Elite – Highest level of competition 
  • Coed Adult Recreational – Lowest level of competition
  • Coed Adult Competitive – Average level of competition
  • Coed Adult Elite – Highest level of competition 
  • Adult Recreational – Lowest level of competition
  • Adult Competitive – Average level of competition
  • Adult Elite – Highest level of competition 

Deadlines apply for making changes to competition level.  

Honesty in team ranking is essential!

Teams that have competed strongly in previous NASSC competitions are encouraged to find a bigger challenge by competing in a higher level.

ROSTERS

Roster Size: 10 players maximum for most divisions

  • NO EXCEPTIONS to roster size.
  • ONLY U8 (under 8 years of age), U9, and U10 and U.S. Open (professional) are allowed up to 12 players max.
  • Minimum recommended roster size is six (6); seven (7) for U8, U9, and U10.
  • Teams are encouraged to roster at least TWO coaches.
  • Youth teams must have one rostered participant, over age 25, on the player sideline for the entirety of the match.
  • US Open – visit U.S. Open page for requirements.
  • Boys are not allowed as players on girls’ rosters. Girls are allowed as players on boys’ rosters.
  • Amateur players may roster on multiple teams however, schedule consideration is not given.
  • Participant must complete registration materials with every team they accept positions with.

Coed Rosters must include a minimum of three (3) females.  Two females must be on the field at all times. See Tournament Rules for details.

Your Team Dashboard view vs. the official roster – our official roster will include only those “participants” (managers, coaches, and players) who have completed registration requirements.

Your dashboard view is an unofficial roster only:

  • Players, coaches, and managers who do not complete all registration requirements may not participate nor will they be allowed on the players’ sideline.
  • Rosters are considered final upon the roster lock date. 

Feature: Player Portal is a self-serve “match-maker” resource to assist players looking for a team to join AND help teams looking for additional players.  

We encourage all team managers to review the Player Portal on our Facebook page.

NUMBER OF GAMES

All teams are guaranteed to be scheduled for three games including pool play and/or consolation games. 

Teams will generally play two matches on Saturday, and 1-3 matches on Sunday based on success.

U.S. Open Men’s and Women’s teams play a separate Friday-Sunday schedule. You are invited to watch professional men’s and women’s competitions in our stadium.

ACCEPTANCE

No information regarding whether space is available in a division, waitlist position, or team acceptance will be given over the phone or by email.

Amateur teams, paid in full, are accepted on a first-in, first accepted basis until we reach the deadline of April 15, 2024 or division is full, whichever comes first. Teams registering later will incur late fees and may be placed on a waitlist. 

Only teams who have applied AND paid all fees in full are considered. Teams not paid in full by the close of business April 15th, are treated as waitlisted without guarantee of acceptance. Waitlist teams will be considered only upon payment of all fees including a late registration fee and only if space is available at the time of payment.

If there is not a spot in the division or level you selected, we will contact you if there is an opportunity in a different division or skill level where your team would qualify.

Teams applying for the U.S. Open are not accepted upon submitting an application. Your team representative will be contacted regarding acceptance and payment following the registration deadline.

If we are not able to accept your team because divisions have been filled, your team fees will be refunded in full.

Waitlist teams may not be notified if we are unable to accept the team.

UNIFORMS

Uniforms are not required in amateur divisions. Teams are required to wear shirts, but may generally come as they are.  

We recommend clothing not have zippers, buttons, or other hardware referees may deem unsafe. One team will be loaned scrimmage vests/pinnies if needed.

Casts and braces are allowed at referee discretion only. Generally, a soft, non-metal brace or a cast which is covered with a soft material or bubble wrap is allowed.  

Formal uniforms are required for teams in the U.S. Open (pro divisions).

ENTRY FEE

Payment deadline: April 15th 

     $650 – Amateur divisions

     $1,000 – U.S. Open teams – visit our U.S. Open page for more information.

A $25 late fee is applied to all late registrations and unpaid teams after April 15th. Teams will be placed on a waitlist and are not guaranteed acceptance.

Payments may be made by check, money order, or credit card and must be made in full (no partial payments).

  • To pay by check, send ONE check per team. Write exact team name and division on the check and include a copy of your confirmation email.
  • Checks received in our office after April 8th will not be accepted.
  • Only online payments are accepted beginning April 8th.
  • Online payments are made at registration or from the team manager’s dashboard.

Refunds are offered providing the team manager requests same in writing by close of business on April 15th.