America’s Youth Athletes Descend on ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort For Mega Summer Sports Schedule

Filed in: AAU Basketball Championships, Cheerleading and Dance, Disney Soccer, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, IdeaSport Soccer Program, Uncategorized, Youth Sports

The flood of youth sports athletes regularly pouring into ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is nearing its highest levels as the complex hosts a slew of tournaments, camps and training events throughout the summer.

Between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend more than 79,000 athletes across 19 sports will compete on the fields, diamonds, courts and other venues at the sports complex, with events ranging from elite basketball tournaments to a new soccer training program.

The summer kicks off Memorial Day Weekend with a packed schedule involving more than 13,600 youth athletes, competing in several events May 26 – 29. Weekend events include the Memorial Day Soccer Shootout, featuring 628 soccer teams, the Memorial Day Baseball Classic, including 32 baseball teams, and the AAU Boys and Girls Memorial Day Classic with 400 youth basketball teams.

In addition to those recreational sports tournaments, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will host several elite-level events this summer.

In June, the complex launches anew soccer-training program presented by LaLiga and Walt Disney World Resort that provides a holistic approach to soccer education. This new program – which will have an open house June 1-4, with training and development slated for late June – presents youth athletes with a rare opportunity to learn the Spanish style of soccer from the world-class coaches, players and officials associated with LaLiga.

The complex will also host major AAU tournaments, such as the AAU Junior Girls National Volleyball Championships (mid-June), where more than 2,300 teams will compete for national titles in various age groups. With nearly 24,000 athletes, it is the largest event to take place at the sports complex this summer.

In July, the complex welcomes the AAU Basketball National Championships for boys and girls, a program that has been the starting point for NBA stars such as Dwyane Wade, Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving, and WNBA stars Elena Della Donne, Skylar Diggins and Candace Parker. Some 80 teams featuring many of the nation’s highest-ranked players, will compete for national titles and showcase their skills to top college basketball coaches.

There will also be youth athletes from around the world competing at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Teams from more than 20 countries will gather for the Disney Cup International presented by AS Roma in July. Among the countries expected to be represented are Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico in one of the few tournaments in the country where youth athletes face international competition.

Similarly, the World Futsal Championship takes place at the end of July and is the world’s largest international youth futsal tournament. Futsal – which is a version of soccer that’s played indoors and on a hard court – is growing in popularity in the U.S., and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is one of the only places in the country to experience a tournament of this scale.

Below is a schedule of all events at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex this summer:

Disney Memorial Day Soccer Shootout May 26-29
Disney Memorial Day Baseball Classic May 26-29
Diamond 9 Sun Classic Summer Showcase (Softball) June 9-11
AAU Wrestling Scholastic Duals June 11-16
44th AAU Girls’ Jr National Volleyball Championships June 14-26
AAU Summer Baseball June 17-24
Disney International Salute to Baseball June 25-July 8
USA Jump Rope June 27-July 1
AAU Primary National Championships (Track & Field) July 7-9
USSA Fast Pitch World Series I July 8-15
Disney Cup International presented by AS Roma July 10-16
USSA Fast Pitch World Series II July 15-22
Challenge 3v3 National Championship July 27-30
USSSA Baseball Week II July 28-Aug. 5
World Futsal Championship July 31-Aug. 3
Disney Pre-Season Soccer Kick-Off presented by AS Roma Aug. 19-20
Disney Labor Day Baseball Classic Sept. 1-4