CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For the 17th year, the Express Beach Soccer Fest hosted dozens of teams from across the state right here in Corpus Christi.
Soccer players who got to play on the beach, some as young as 4 years old.
“Our event has its own stadium with the sea wall and the steps. It’s as if you’re in South America at a true beach tournament,” Deelynn Torres said.
Torres is the President of Express Soccer Club. She said 172 teams participated in this year’s soccer fest.
“We have all from West Texas. Odessa, San Angelo, Del Rio, Fort Worth to Houston all the way down to Brownsville,” Torres said.
Like the Allstars from Fort Worth. They drove 6 hours to play on the beach.
“Last year, we did our first tournament here with these guys, and this year we decided to come bigger,” Coach Carlos Montes said.
They played against the Riptides, a team made up of kids from Corpus Christi and Alice. Coach David Lopez tells us he’s been involved in Express Beach Soccer Fest for several years.
“I think it brings the whole community together. There are new people coming in and old people coming in who bring their friends and family. Every year it gets bigger,” Lopez said.
In fact, Torres wants to have this event twice a year.
Adding more teams to the roster and bringing more revenue to our city.
“Considering that 90% of the teams are from out of town. You’re talking hotels, restaurants and all the other events happening in Corpus Christi,” Torres said.
Plus, putting on this tournament helps Coastal Bend players become a part of Express Soccer.
“This helps with those players who can’t afford it, but skill-wise, they need those opportunities,” Torres said.
