Tournament 2 Recap

In August we hosted our second ever Vultures Tournament! An event filled with passion, friendly competition, and a lot of HOT weather. This tournament is hosted every year to assist with pushing forward one of our mission goals which is to provide opportunity for first generation EOF students.

When we hosted our first tournament last year, it was a gamble to see if people would show up and an even bigger gamble to see if people were interested in the event and enjoyed it enough to come back. Flash forward to 2025, and there was a great deal of interest from new teams looking to make their mark and contribute to the cause mixed in with returning teams looking to restart their runs at the trophy again.

With every event, we reflect and see what could be done better as we evolve as an organization. This year we changed the structure of the tournament to prioritize rest for the players in the heat while also providing them more options to refuel in between their games. – Side note: this is where I would like to give a special shout-out to our 3 vendors that did great with providing everyone at the event food and beverages for that pre and post game charge. Thank you to Gotcha Matcha for providing their spin on matcha and charging up the players as well as the spectators. Thank you to Rubia’s Bakery for coming in to provide the sweet treats to celebrate those big wins. Finally, thank you to Enjoyabowls for always supporting our events and giving that fruitful break in between games.

The games themselves went well with all 10 teams giving it their all. The men's and co-ed divisions were full of friendly but heated games, each one trying to go all the way to claim the Vultures Trophy. As we continued through the tournament, 2 teams came out victorious. Guayacos FC which reclaimed their throne as the back to back winners of the men’s division. While Passion FC claimed their first trophy with a star-studded line up of players making their mark in tournament history.

Of course the best part of it all is that players and spectators alike were able to have a great time together watching the beautiful game in an event that looks to provide something bigger than themselves. The majority of the funds raised at the event are put into a scholarship fund at the Ramapo College of New Jersey and given through the Dafne Scholarship.

We are always thankful for everyone who plays, comes to watch, and spreads the word about the tournament. We can’t wait to see how tournament 3 will look like in the coming year.