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Flamefest, Solar Soccer Receive MCVB Award

Two decades after they started bringing young athletes and their families to McKinney, the Flamefest Soccer Tournament and sponsoring club, Solar Soccer (formerly Blackwatch), received the designation as this year’s Tourism Partner of the Year.

 Tournament director Norma Trujillo accepted the award during the 2009 McKinney Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet. This award is presented by the McKinney Convention & Visitors Bureau each year to an individual or entity making a continued positive impact on the city’s economy and tourism efforts.

“Flamefest is one of the area's longest consecutively-running soccer tournaments, and has brought such positive attention to McKinney over the years. It has brought hundreds of visitors to the city, making a positive economic impact from dollars spent on hotel nights, dining and shopping,” said Diann Bayes, MCVB Executive Director. “We’re pleased to recognize Flamefest and its sponsoring organization, Solar Soccer Club, in this way. It’s well-deserved.”

The new affiliation with Solar Soccer Club is the third for the Flamefest Tournament, which started with the Flame in 1988, followed by Blackwatch. While other youth soccer tournaments in the North Texas area have folded over the past 20 years, Flamefest has continued to grow, thanks to the dedication of volunteers, development of new city fields, partnerships with Craig Ranch and the enthusiasm of the City of McKinney as a whole, Bayes explained.

“Hundreds of competitors in the Flamefest Tournament have stayed in McKinney’s hotel rooms during the 63 total days of soccer played over the 21 year history of the weekend tournament,” Bayes said. “In fact, each year’s tournament fills roughly 175 hotel rooms, hosting the families of boys and girls teams from ages 10 to 18 from all over Texas, as well as Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Missouri. They’ve even gotten inquiries about the tournament from as far away as Alaska.”

The 2009 Flamefest Tournament is scheduled for June 19-21, with the registration deadline set for June 1. Trujillo recommends that teams get their registrations in as early as possible, beginning immediately.

 “We are expecting more than 150 teams from all over Texas and bordering states. We have had to turn away a significant number of teams the last two years because of field space limitations,” Trujillo said, pointing out that the tournament utilizes fields at Al Ruschhaupt Soccer Complex and the Soccer Complex at Craig Ranch. “Teams are encouraged to submit registrations as early as possible to help ensure proper consideration for this tournament.”

For more information about the Flamefest Tournament, visit www.FlamefestSoccer.org.