On Saturday, July 14, 2018, the champs were crowned in the inaugural Columbus Nation’s Cup, a soccer tournament and festival benefiting the Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) Community Connectors Mentorship Program. With support from IGS, Save The Crew business ally CoverMyMeds, Big Lots Foundation, Sapperton Advisors, Two Dollar Radio HQ, and Columbus East FC over 150 athletes of all ages took to the Columbus East Soccer Association (CESA) fields at Easton to compete for the championship cup in their respective divisions. Family and friends gathered at the fields to cheer on the players and true community connections were made.

Save The Crew business ally Columbus Eagles FC was also on hand with Eagles players and staff serving as match officials for the 4v4 tournament.

Soccer is a powerful tool to bring together diverse communities, and it was inspiring to see so many faces from all over the globe, united in their love for soccer. These are the faces of our Columbus community, both those who have newly arrived and those who have lived here all their lives. This is our soccer.

The Nordecke fielded a team in each division and team members from #SaveTheCrew were on site to combat the intense heat by passing out ice cold water to participants and families and to spread awareness for the Project 2019 campaign, which now has over 9500 tickets pledged. With such success in their first year, plans are already underway between CRIS and CESA for next year’s tournament.