Premier Sports Campus to host action-packed weekend

Soccer, rugby, Frisbee and football players from across the state will take to the fields this weekend at the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch.

The U.S. National U17 boys soccer team, which comprises about 40 players from across the country, will play a pair of exhibition games against the Clearwater Chargers Sept. 17. The team will split up to play two games — one at 10 a.m. against the Clearwater Chargers U16 team and one at noon against the Chargers U18 team. Both games will be free and open to the public.

“These are the best young soccer players in America,” said Tim Mulqueen, Lakewood Ranch’s director of sports. “It will be a great sight for the entire community to come out and see soccer players who will most likely be playing for Major League Soccer one day.”

In addition to the exhibition soccer games, a rugby 10’s tournament will run 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 17-18. The event, hosted by the Sarasota Saracens rugby team, will bring in 20-30 elite rugby teams from around the state to compete.

The Ultimate Frisbee world championships also will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 17-18 and the YMCA football league will be playing its regular league games all weekend as well.

“That is the great thing about having 22 full-sized fields,” Mulqueen said. “When we are not hosting a major tournament, we can host several smaller events all at the same time.”