Buffalo Grove soccer tourney welcomes English squad

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Updated: August 1, 2011 12:18AM

The Grove United Soccer Association’s annual Memorial Day Shootout is back, bringing teams from around the state, country – and this year, the world.

In October, a team of boys from a high school in England, Knowsley College, two-time champs of the Midwest Invitational in Wichita, Kansas, were seeking a more advanced level of soccer play.

Hearing that Illinois was known for its competitive soccer, head coach Stuart Jones was researching tournaments when he came across Grove United.

“Having spoken to Joel (Manning, tournament director), it came across that (the tournament) was really well run; it attracted a lot of teams – about 360 teams,” Jones said. “The organization and support from the club has been really positive.”

Travel costs and tournament fees were taken care of by Knowsley, its sponsors and the teammates.

Many times, he said, tournaments would rather not go through the trouble of involving an international team, especially if they are the only one. However, he said, Grove United was happy to go through the process, even though it involved several hours of paperwork. In the past, Grove United has welcomed teams from Canada, but other than that, has never had teams from abroad participate.

To cut costs and give the boys a taste of American culture, families of Grove United players and board members opened their homes to the Knowsley team members.

“I think it just enhances their experience,” Jones said. “They get to see the American culture and how people live over here, which is probably a little bit different than how they may live back in England.”

For many of the boys, it is their first time in the United States.

“The lifestyle in America is completely different,” said Knowsley team member Jonathan Sproson. “We’re 18, 19, and we’re still in college (high school) and get our moms and dads to drop us off at football, but people (players of the same age) here come in their cars, and it’s just like ‘Whoa.’ They’re a lot more independent here; I thought that was just on the films.”

Before they leave Wednesday, the boys will take a trip to Chicago to sightsee and purchase merchandise from stores like Nike that tend to have lower prices in the United States.

The team, which is mostly from the Knowsley area, which is just north of Liverpool, has a squad of 15 boys all around the age of 18. Every two years, the team gets a new set of players.

In order to prepare for a whole new game of soccer, Jones said the boys have been playing friendly games and working on their fitness as their season finished eight weeks ago.

Jones commented on the differences between American and English soccer. In England, he said, the game is very competitive and physical - more physical, he said, than American soccer, where players focus first on fitness, then technique. Styles of play can differ as well.

“There’s a lot of pressure on our guys because it is our national sport back home,” Jones said. “I know over in America, they play baseball, American football, basketball – (our) boys, since a very young age, have played soccer, and that’s the only real sport that they know.”

To accentuate the friendly international competition, an all-star game will be played Monday. Evaluators will observe the tournament and choose players to join Team America. Knowsley will then face the collective team of American players ages 17-19. Female athletes will also be chosen and split into two teams for their own all-star game.

Many of the players, including those from Knowsley, are interested in pursuing soccer in the future. Thirteen college coaches will be perusing games throughout the weekend, taking notice of players they may want to eventually recruit.

“My goal is to try and play at the best level, and keep enjoying playing,” said Elliot Buike, a Knowsley College team member. “Hopefully, I want to play at a high amateur level.”

Grove United’s Memorial Day Shootout is in its fifth year of existence, bringing in more teams than it ever has. It started with a group of people having an idea about a soccer tournament. The event is put on by a seven-person commission and a lot of help from volunteers.

“We thought (the tournament) would be a great thing to involve the kids in our club,” tournament director Manning said.

Much of Grove United’s fundraising also has its roots at the tournament, as the majority of money the event brings in is used for player scholarships and grants.

“Our goal has been to try to raise as much money as we can and use that money to help kids who can’t afford to play soccer by giving scholarships and grants out to them,” Manning said.

Along with bringing Knowsley in, Manning said he believes participating teams will experience something unique at the tournament.

There are 20 fields at Olympic Park in Schaumburg where the tournament is held. All the turf fields but three have lights. It is the first time most of the Knowsley boys have seen turf fields, and will be the first time many players participating in the tournament have ever played under lights.

The Shootout goes until 3:30 p.m. Monday.

“My hopes are no rain, that everyone has a lot of fun and everyone leaves here with a great experience,” Manning said.