On Saturday August 21st, VBFC was honored to host the 1st Annual Estadio Summer Classic. Supported by Nike, Menotti’s, Winston House and Waterfront Venice, the day marked our first formal event back at the Estadio in over 18 months. We shared the park with countless other organizations who all together made up the 1st Annual Venice Beach Summer Sports Day - a new tradition in Venice sports that will continue on. The entire park was activated from morning until sunset, with each respective sport doing their thing and bringing their communities together again to enjoy the games they all love.

For us, the day was about celebrating the game of football, and all the people our club serves from youth to adult. We used the opportunity to give all the kids in our club, and those outside of it, the chance to play at the Estadio and use this moment to celebrate them above all else. In the morning VBFC coaches put on clinics for our Oakwood players and a small-sided tournament for our Futsal Club and Venice High School players which brought out dozens of families and young talented players.

The Music & VBFC Shop Set The Vibe

Miguel Espinoza aka DJ Fiks, who also coaches with VBFC and whose family owns the famous Great Western Steak & Hoagie, was on the decks from 12pm onwards setting the tone for players to enjoy the competition and brought a vibe for everyone in attendance. Supported by VBFC mainstay emcee Tru Artis, the music and commentary kept the place buzzing and entertained the entire day. To add even more flavor, a Brazilian rhythm section came through for the finals and built an adrenaline inducing beat as players battled on the court like a Roman colliseum.

The biggest highlight of the environment however had to be the VBFC Club Shop, which was popped up on the basketball courts and offered everyone in attendance a glimpse into the styles and pieces we’ve put together over the last year. Shop goers got the full experience and were able to grab fresh new pieces, accessories and some old classics still in rotation.

Adult pick-up tournament

Following the kids activities and tournament, the day took us into one of the marquee moments of the day, the adult pickup tournament. This tournament brought out some of the best players in the LA soccer community, who frequent VBFC on Sundays, to go toe-to-toe in a king-of-the-court style tournament to see who would take home the 1st Estadio Summer Classic trophy.

The tournament brought back some familiar faces, including the always-difficult Brazilian squad, led by captain Roge, a VBFC coaching staff team, a youthful high-school team of Venice High and Animo ballers, and countless other champions of the Estadio court. Teams played for 3 hours to try to qualify for the finals, and it was nothing short of a spectacle for all those in attendance to watch and enjoy. Officiated and regulated by the one-and-only Juan Guadarrama, the tournament was successful in bringing together to create a very competitive and high-level of play, but also sustain the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood that the Estadio stands on.

Every player showed up to ball out and win, and it was a tightly contested tournament until the top 4 teams started to pull away: the Ontario Fury boys, the VBFC coaches squad, The Brazilians, and Sterling Watring’s squad. The semi-finals were set to be the most competitive yet in VBFC tournament history.

But before the four teams squared off, VBFC was proud to present the women leaders in our community who put on a showcase game in front of everyone in attendance. For us, it was a moment to recognize and celebrate the leadership, unity, and talent of our rapidly growing women’s community. The ladies took the court for over 40 minutes showing off their talents for all to see.

Following the women’s exhibition game, and with the final set, some of the most consistent and capable VBFC Sunday pickup players took the court for the final rounds of play to see who would be crowned the first annual Estadio Summer Classic champions. A close game between the VBFC coaches side and the Ontario boys ultimately saw VBFC push through the final by a narrow margin, which was met by cheers from all of the young kids they coach watching from the sidelines. On the other side, the Brazilians squared off against the defending Invitational champion’s Sterling Watring and his boys, but the power and class of Ederson Lopes and Roge’s team ultimately took them to the final.

With the unfortunate loss of team leader Alex Lalor for the VBFC Coaches team, the Brazilians, drummed on by their countrymen in the rhythm section, ultimately won by a score of 3-1. The Brasileros were triumphant and earned themselves the first ever Estadio Summer Classic Trophy.

POST MATCH CELEBRATIONS

Following their victory, the Brazilian’s Ole’d all over the court and celebrated with everyone who was there until the very end. The drummers kept the beat, and players got their photo ops in front of the media board courtesy of our sponsors. The cherry on top of everything was Roge, fresh off winning a trophy, performing live for everyone as the sunset. It couldn’t have been scripted any better.

Thank you Sponsors

None of this would have been possible without the support of our sponsors. A massive thank you to Nike, Menotti’s, Winston House, and Waterfront Cafe.