Sunny Fort Lauderdale to Kick Off USAFL Regionals Series

The first installment of the USAFL’s Regional Tournament Series provides the perfect kick off of the USAFL 2015 Regular Season.

Florida's bright sun and the bright lights of Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale provide the Eastern Regional 18s Tournament with a stunning stage.  Set for the weekend of April 17th-18th, the tournament, is hosted by the hometown Fighting Squids, a club that has seen a great resurgence over the last several seasons.

This is the first of six Regional tournaments sponsored by the USAFL, who will be providing umpires and covering all associated costs.   Participation in the regional tournaments, in addition to the results, will be one of the factors considered by the seeding committee for this year’s National Championships in Austin.

All Eastern regional squads are invited, and the Squids are hopeful that each will attend.  Clubs that send partial teams, no matter the number, will be matched up with other partial teams to form mixed clubs and ensure full numbers on each squad. 

As of this writing, four clubs have committed to playing in the tournament.  The Squids are hoping to get enough teams organized to begin the tournament under the lights on Friday night, with the bulk of the matches taking place on Saturday and going right through the evening.  Each team will be guaranteed three games, including classification matches (1v2 Grand Final, 3v4, 5v6, etc).

The Stadium at Central Broward Park is the crown jewel of a complex that includes athletic grounds that can be used for soccer, cricket, and baseball, picnic areas, bike trails, horse stables, playgrounds, and a water park.  The Stadium itself, completed in 2008, features a multipurpose pitch that is the only one that can accommodate a fully certified Aussie Rules field. 

There is seating for 5,000 and open grassy areas that can accommodate another 15,000 spectators.  It also features floodlights, which will illuminate the final set of matches on Saturday night.  Concessions will be available, and fans can follow all the action on the electronic scoreboard and through the in-stadium on-ground commentary.

Just as the impressive are the player amenities: a temperature controlled set of change and medical rooms for each club, and for the umpires, complete with showers and washrooms.  The field itself is among the best quality sporting grounds in the country, and has stood the test of hosting USAFL matches and international cricket, rugby, and soccer contests alike.

Following the tournament will be an after party, and teams are encouraged to stick around on Sunday and take in the warm beaches and Florida temperatures that most of the Northern US (including your humble author) have been dreaming about this winter.

For more information about the tournament or to register your interest in playing for you or your club, e-mail the squids at info@fightingsquids.com or contact Tom Hecker at 954-504-2180.