Arsenal Challenge Cup

The Arsenal Challenge Cup was born in 1995 as the Sycamore Arsenal Club Classic and hosted 80 teams that first year. Since 1995, the management of the tournament has put one goal above all else ... to provide the most challenging, rewarding and unique soccer experience possible for teams of higher skill levels. For many years, the Ohio South YSA has formatted these divisions differently, conflicting with the formatting of surrounding states. Begining with the fall 2007 season, including the Arsenal Challenge Cup, play will be as follows: U8, U09 and U10 fall teams will play 6v6 (if enough interest, will have U10 8v8 division) U11 fall teams will play 8v8 U12 and higher fall teams will continue to play 11v11 ***if there is enough interest, we will have U10 8v8 and U12 8v8 divisions. These changes mean that other top teams from throughout the Midwest can now apply for, and compete in, the ACC where they could not previously. FIELD OF PLAY, DIVISIONS AND BRACKETING The Arsenal Challenge Cup invites all elite, premier, "A" & strong "B" level teams from throughout the United States and Canada to apply for entry into the 220 team field. The tournament hosts the following divisions: Gold - Elite and Premier level teams Silver - Lower Premier, "A" level teams teams Bronze - Lower "A" and strong "B" level teams Applicants will be selected and bracketed according to the following general criteria with the objective of forming the most competitive divisions possible: - strength of league record - strength of league or division - recent tournament play & competitive level of tournaments selected - ranking in NationalSoccerRanking.com (both current ranking at the time of acceptance and historic ranking through the spring months) ** we do NOT use GotSoccer rankings ** - state cup/regional/national results - past performance in the Arsenal Challenge Cup - other competitive/geographic factors (The Director of Competition and/or the Tournament Director may make exceptions or adjustments to the above guidelines in order to balance the competitiveness of certain divisions, depending upon entries)