One of the biggest weekends on the calendar for the Turlock Sports Park is finally here. On Saturday, the local organization will be hosting two highly anticipated events: Their biannual flag football championships and a youth soccer camp with Turlock native and current DC United defender Hayden Sargis.
Both events will be taking place at the same time at the Turlock Sports Park facilities at 801 N. Soderquist Rd. The soccer camp with Sargis will kick off at 9 a.m. and last till noon while the flag football games will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For the soccer camp, there is an $89 online registration fee that will be open until 7 a.m. Friday. At the camp, attendees will receive professional level coaching, go over daily drills, learn more about game structure and flow, and receive a complimentary Turlock Sports Park shirt.
CEO and President Fred Rasuli believes that the visit from Sargis, who attended Turlock Sports Park as a child and returned to train at the facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, will also show attendees that achieving their dreams is possible, regardless of where they come from.
“It’s really nice to have a pro, MLS player here in town who was born and raised here. To have him return and give back to the community is something really special and it aligns with the reasons why we founded Turlock Sports Park, which is to help the local youth” Rasuli said. “He’ll be coming to talk about the career he has chosen and the path he’s taking to get there, so there’s a lot of good things that will come out of it. He’ll be able to talk to the kids about the possibilities. Some kids don’t believe that if they are from a small town, they can make it to the pros.”
Over in the flag football games, it will Turlock Sports Park’s biggest playoff bracket and championship games yet. Director Broc Hamilton shared that youth participation has skyrocketed from 80 players in their first year to having over 400.
“For flag football, we’ve become one of the biggest organizations in the area,” Hamilton said. “We’ll be having our playoffs and championships on Saturday, and we’ll have a DJ out there. We have teams starting at 5 and 6 years old and go all the way up to the 13 to 15-year-old divisions. We’ll be handing out some pretty nice Super Bowl rings.”
Even for community members who don’t have friends or family competing, Hamilton encourages people to come out and experience the action for themselves while having a good time.
“Flag football is literally one of the fastest growing sports in the world,” Hamilton said. “More and more people are playing each year and it’s becoming even more popular amongst girls, so it’s exciting to have this participation in Turlock and have these events.”
To register for the Sargis soccer camp or for more information on the flag football programs at Turlock Sports Park, head to the organization’s official website at www.TurlockSportsPark.com.
