Soccer in the Sand
Soccer in the Sand is a series of beach soccer tournaments held at beaches across the United States. It started in 2006, founded by Chris Lemay, to grow beach soccer and support local communities through donations and partnerships with youth soccer clubs.
Events are usually 5-a-side games including a goalkeeper, with divisions by age and gender. Women can play in some male divisions, but men compete in male divisions only. Tournaments can be one or two days, with up to 11 players per team (12 in coed). Locations change each year, and as of 2026 several sites are confirmed; earlier stops included Clearwater Beach, FL and Cleveland, OH among others.
Games are scored 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Tie-breakers include head-to-head results, goal differential, or shootouts. Kickoffs are decided by coin toss or rock-paper-scissors. Each team is guaranteed at least three games in pool play, then top teams move to playoffs.
Two-day events have three 11-minute periods with short breaks; one-day events have two 12-minute halves. The series also offers free skills clinics on the Friday before events and community giveback initiatives. To date, Soccer in the Sand has donated more than $280,000 to local organizations and reached thousands of participants with free clinics.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:12 (CET).