Food, music and soccer will be celebrated this week at Wylie ISD Stadium.
The Ethiopian Sports Federation of North America welcomes its 40th annual soccer tournament this week until July 8, celebrating the Ethiopian culture in North America. ESFNA is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 to promote amateur soccer and cultural events within the Ethiopian community in North America. They are one of the largest Ethiopian organizations in North America.
ESFNA holds the week-long soccer tournament every year, with cities like Toronto and Washington D.C. previously hosting the event. The organization’s goal is to bring Ethiopians together and celebrate Ethiopian culture around the country, using soccer as a medium.
31 teams from across the country flocked to Wylie for the tournament, including local clubs Ethio Dallas and Addis Dallas. Ethio Dallas plays in the Division 1 tournament on Tuesday, July 4 and Thursday, July 6. Addis Dallas is in the Division 2 bracket, and they play Monday, July 3, Wednesday, July 5 and Thursday, July 6.
The entire tournament schedule can be found at https://esfna.org/tournament/.
As part of the event, several famous Ethiopians will be presented as guests of honor throughout the week. Among the guests of honor this year are 25-year-old forward for the Ethiopian women’s team, Loza Abera, retired long-distance runner and 1980 Olympics bronze medalist Eshetu Tura and former Ethiopian men’s team midfielder, Bekeri Adem.
The event features authentic Ethiopian food and street vendors, along with networking events for young Ethiopians and businesses.
Individuals interested in attending the event can still obtain passes for the event. There are daily, three-day and weekly passes that provide entry to all areas of the event July 2-8.
A daily pass costs $20 before any fees are added, a three-day pass will cover July 6-8 and cost $70 before fees and a weekly pass costs $110 before fees for entry to all days of the event. A 4% credit card fee will be applied to all transactions and only three-day and weekly pass holders will be allowed to enter and exit the event.
To sign up, attendees will have to provide a first and last name, email address, phone number and picture for the pass. A government-issued ID will be required to pick up passes during business hours at the stadium, and any sold passes are not transferable or refundable.
To purchase passes, visit esfna.org/tournament/week-pass-registration.
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