ROCKINGHAM – For the fourth-straight summer, local soccer enthusiasts will get the opportunity to help benefit a local charity all while playing the game they love.
On Saturday, July 28, area players can compete in the fourth annual Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries three-on-three soccer tournament at Browder Park in Rockingham. With the registration deadline Wednesday, there are plenty of spots available for interested parties to sign up, with a team cost of $150.
The tournament, which is headed by Keith and Colleen Parsons, can accommodate as many teams as necessary. Each team must have a minimum of four players, but no more than six players on the roster.
As explained by Keith Parsons, a former Associated Press journalist, the event hopes to have four different divisions: co-ed youth (ages nine to 12), high school boys (ages 13-17), high school girls (ages 13-17) and an open co-ed adult division for players 18 and older. Parsons expects there to be anywhere from four to six total teams per division participating.
In 2014, the Parsons, along with Charles Hudson, created a local three-on-three soccer team for their daughters to play on to help them stay active and get better with the sport of soccer. From there, the program flourished, ultimately resulting in the annual charity soccer tournament.
“When our daughters were 13, we started the three-on-three soccer team,” Keith Parsons explained. “We played in several tournaments. The next summer, my wife, Colleen, suggested we do our own tournament. So, in 2015, we held our first tournament and it’s gotten a little bit bigger each year.”
Parsons also noted that he started the three-on-three soccer team to help area players “get better at soccer” because the smaller-sided version of the sport is much faster than what players are used to in a regular 11-player format.
“In three-on-three soccer, players deal with the ball a lot more,” Parsons said. “The work on offense and defense (more frequently), and have to be successful in moving the ball down field to score. It also lets them work as a team and building those skills. We just wanted to help get soccer more notoriety in Richmond County and give kids something to look forward to.”
This summer, because his daughter Emily, a rising senior and soccer player at Richmond Senior High School, is studying English at the Governor’s School of North Carolina, Parsons didn’t have a three-on-three soccer team, and decided just to “focus on the tournament” instead.
In the last three years, Parsons has chosen a local benefactor to receive 100 percent of the tournament’s proceeds. This year, all funds raised through the Hwy 55 event will go to Impact Backpack, a new non-profit that helps supply school materials and food to Richmond County youth, and was started in June by Brett Bowers and Justus Ellerbe, two 2016 RSHS graduates.
“All of the proceeds (this year) will go to Impact Backpack, and we’re really happy to do that,” Parsons commented. “Colleen and I were looking (to donate) to something that benefits kids. And she suggested Brett and Justus, and it seemed like a natural decision. We love what they’re doing, and if we could be a small part of helping them get going, we’re happy to help them out.”
For those unfamiliar with three-on-three soccer, Parsons explained that it was a “faster-paced version” of regular soccer, and uses a smaller field with no goalkeepers. The tournament will be filled with “lots of scoring” and will run games every 30 minutes on four different fields from 9 a.m. until about 2 p.m. Games will operate with two, 10-minute halves with a short break in between periods.
Based on the total amount of teams that sign up, players will compete in a round robin pool play, before finishing up with a bracket tournament to determine each division’s champion and runner-up. All participants will receive a tournament t-shirt as well, with members of the top two teams in each division receiving a medal.
Hwy 55 will be on hand to cook hamburgers and hot dogs, and the event will feature a water slide and corn hole boards.
This is also the third year that Hwy 55, a restaurant located in the Falling Creek Plaza near Wal-Mart in Rockingham, is sponsoring the event. As explained by Parsons, Hwy 55 owner JR Cottle came to him three years ago looking for a way to help out, and decided to sponsor the event. From that, Parsons noted the two have formed “a great friendship” and it’s “been amazing” to have the restaurant benefit the event.
Expecting this year to be the “biggest event yet,” Parsons said there are teams registered with players from outside the Richmond County area. He also hopes that the event will continue to grow a little more each year.
“I want to thank Mark Rohleder, Dave Davis and Pam Cowick (of Rockingham Parks and Rec),” Parsons concluded. “They do an amazing job every year — they go all out on the fields to get them in great shape and for allowing us to sell concessions. And of course, a big thank you to JR for being our main sponsor.”
For more information, and to register teams, contact Keith Parsons at (910) 995-1670, or Colleen Parsons at (910) 995-7706.
