Elite Tournaments

What Elite Tournaments does

Elite Tournaments is a privately held youth sports event management company founded in 2000 by Michael Libber and headquartered in West Friendship, Maryland. The company organizes and operates soccer and lacrosse tournaments, manages league events for four major national youth leagues (Girls Academy League, Development Player League, Elite Academy League, and IWLCA), and runs international tours under the Celtic Soccer Academy Elite Tours program in partnership with Celtic Football Club. Operations span 30+ U.S. states and a network of 250+ venue partners, with deep roots in the Mid-Atlantic region and co-host relationships with local clubs such as OBGC, SAC, McLean Youth Soccer, Herndon Youth Soccer, and Gettysburg Youth Soccer.

The technology stack is built around the third-party GotSport registration and event management platform, which handles tournament applications, team check-in, roster management, college coach registration, and scheduling. The company layers integrations on top: Halpern Travel for mandatory tournament housing (required for teams traveling more than 100 miles), ASO Apparel for event merchandise, ViCoverage for optional weather cancellation insurance embedded in registration, and PRYZ for transportation coordination. No proprietary technology platform is operated in-house; differentiation is operational and relational rather than software-led.

Revenue is generated primarily through per-team tournament registration fees ranging from approximately $715 to $1,550 depending on age group and event format, supplemented by performance bonds, late fees, and vendor charges. Secondary revenue streams include exclusive sponsorship sales (outsourced to BASE Sports Group as of June 2026), brand partnerships (Adidas, Gatorade), apparel sales, and fees from the international Celtic tours. Customer segments are fragmented across thousands of competitive youth clubs and travel teams in the U.S., with college athletic programs acting as indirect beneficiaries via showcase events such as the Baltimore College Showcase.

Name

Elite Tournaments

Legal name

Elite Tournaments

Website

https://elitetournaments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elite Tournaments organizes and manages youth soccer and lacrosse tournaments, leagues, and international tours across 30+ U.S. states. Founded in 2000, it serves competitive youth clubs, travel teams, and national leagues through 250+ venue partnerships and exclusive event-management agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Event Management

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Tournament Organizers (MPAKADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Amateur Sports Tournaments (MPAGAMAF), Collegiate & Scholastic Tournament Organizers (MPAKADAG)

Keywords

• Youth soccer tournaments
• Youth lacrosse tournaments
• Sports event management
• Tournament registration services
• International sports tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Friendship

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tournament and League Event Registration Fees: Teams pay registration fees to participate in tournaments and leagues. Fees vary by age group and event type, ranging from approximately $715 to $1,400 per team. Additional revenue from performance bonds (refundable), late fees, and vendor fees.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership Revenue: Exclusive sponsorship partnership with BASE Sports Group for commercial sponsorship sales. Additional sponsorships through event-specific partners including apparel (Adidas), equipment (Gatorade), and venue/housing partners.
3. International Tours: Revenue from Celtic Soccer Academy Elite Tours - invitation-only international tours to Scotland with registration fees, kit sales, and associated tour services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Elite Tournaments organizes and manages youth soccer and lacrosse tournaments, leagues, and international tours for competitive travel clubs, academy programs, and college recruiters. It sells per-team tournament registration slots, league event management services to major national youth soccer leagues (GA, DPL, EA, ASPIRE) and the IWLCA, and invitation-only international training tours through a partnership with Celtic FC. Supporting services include official event apparel distribution and coordination of travel housing and weather-cancellation insurance.

Product overview

Elite Tournaments operates a multi-faceted youth sports event management platform centered on soccer and lacrosse tournaments and leagues. The core offering consists of standalone soccer tournaments (Mason Dixon Cup, Loudoun Premier Cup, Dulles National Soccer Tournament, Gettysburg Battlefield Blast, OBGC Capital Cup, SAC Columbus Day Tournament, and others) and lacrosse events, complemented by league management partnerships with Development Player League (DPL), Elite Academy League (EA), Girls Academy League (GA), and Girls Academy ASPIRE. International programming includes Celtic Soccer Academy Elite Tours to Scotland. The company also offers college recruiting showcases and official tournament apparel merchandise. The platform utilizes GotSport for registration management, Halpern Travel for housing coordination, and ViCoverage for optional weather cancellation insurance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elite Promotions Group: International promotions and tour operations entity associated with Elite Tournaments
• Girls Academy ASPIRE
• Development Player League (DPL)
• Elite Academy League (EA)
• Girls Academy League (GA)

Products and services

• Soccer Tournaments Championship-caliber youth soccer tournaments held nationwide, including standalone events such as the Mason Dixon Cup, Loudoun Premier Cup, Dulles National Soccer Tournament, Gettysburg Battlefield Blast, OBGC Capital Cup, and college showcase events. Covers U8 through U19 age groups for boys and girls teams.
• Lacrosse Events Youth lacrosse tournament management and operations, including the IWLCA Recruiting Series events and the American Lacrosse Festival, serving boys and girls lacrosse clubs with college recruiting exposure.
• Development Player League (DPL) Event Management All-girls soccer league event management services for the Development Player League (DPL), covering 10 conferences and over 16,000 players nationally. Elite Tournaments manages DPL league events under an exclusive partnership.
• Elite Academy League (EA) Event Management All-boys soccer league event management services for the Elite Academy League (EA), covering over 100 member clubs across 9 conferences nationwide.
• Girls Academy League (GA) Event Management All-girls soccer league event management services for the Girls Academy League (GA), covering 11 conferences and over 14,000 players nationwide.
• Girls Academy ASPIRE Event Management Tier-two development league for elite girls soccer, providing a competitive platform for second teams and external clubs seeking advancement between the Girls Academy top-tier league and competitive youth soccer.
• Celtic Soccer Academy Elite Tours Invitation-only 7-day international soccer tours to Scotland in partnership with Celtic Football Club. Includes training at Celtic facilities, matches against Scottish Academy teams, stadium tours, and exclusive experiences for elite boys and girls players.
• College Recruiting Showcases Showcase-format tournaments such as the Baltimore College Showcase and Loudoun Soccer College Showcase designed specifically for college recruiting, featuring college coach attendance and player profile access through GotSoccer.
• American Lacrosse Festival (ALF) New boys lacrosse tournament event launched in partnership with the American Lacrosse Collective, scheduled for January 9-10, 2027 at Publix Sports Park in Panama City Beach, Florida, featuring a 4-game guarantee format for clubs in the 2036-2028 graduation years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90,000+ teams competed in Elite Tournaments events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BASE Sports GroupcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 June 2026Exclusive sponsorship agency partnership. BASE Sports Group will represent Elite Tournaments for commercial sponsorship sales, connecting brands with youth sports audience. Partnership combines Elite's national event footprint with BASE's brand partnership expertise. BASE was founded in 2021 and represents brands including Papa John's, PRIME Hydration, US Army, and DUDE Wipes.
• American Lacrosse CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Partnership to launch American Lacrosse Festival (ALF), a new boys lacrosse event January 9-10, 2027 at Publix Sports Park in Panama City Beach, FL. Programs from ALC have committed to attend. ALC is a national network of club programs focused on player development.
• Halpern TravelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial Tournament Housing Coordinator for all Elite Tournaments events. Manages hotel bookings, room blocks, and travel logistics for out-of-town teams. Required housing partner for teams traveling more than 100 miles.
• Celtic FC / Celtic Soccer AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for Celtic Soccer Academy Elite Tours - invitation-only 7-day training experiences in Scotland at Celtic training facilities. Includes stadium tours, match attendance, coaching sessions, and academy player appearances. Elite Tournaments hosts the Celtic Soccer Academy Elite Cup as qualifying event.
• Elite Academy League (EA League)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership since April 2021 for league event management. All-boys league with over 100 member clubs across 9 conferences. Elite assists with league events annually.
• Girls Academy League (GA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership since December 2023 for league event management. All-girls league with 11 conferences and over 14,000 players. Elite assists with GA league events each year.
• Development Player League (DPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since April 2021 for league event management. All-girls league with 10 conferences and over 16,000 players. Elite assists with DPL league events annually.
• Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership for lacrosse recruiting events. Manages IWLCA recruiting series events, equipment inventory, and facility contracts. Caitlin Schmelz serves as VP of Lacrosse.
• GotSportcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial registration and event management platform for tournament applications, team check-in, roster management, college coach registration, and scheduling. All tournament registrations processed through GotSport.
• AdidasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial apparel partner for tournament merchandise and apparel sales.
• GatorademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial hydration and equipment partner for Elite Tournaments events.
• Olney Boys and Girls Community (OBGC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-host of OBGC Capital Cup, one of top Labor Day tournaments in Region I Mid-Atlantic. OBGC provides local organization, venues, and participant base.
• Soccer Association of Columbia (SAC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-host of SAC Columbus Day Tournament and Columbia Fall Classic. SAC provides venues including Covenant Park and participant network.
• McLean Youth SoccercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-host of Nation's Capital Cup (boys and girls weekends) held in McLean, VA.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Score Sports / Score Showcase: National youth soccer tournament and showcase operator running flagship events like the Score Showcase and Players College Showcase. Directly comparable to Elite in target customer (competitive travel clubs U13-U19), college showcase positioning, and registration-fee economics.
• Elite Clubs National League (ECNL): Operates the ECNL and ECNL-RL national leagues and runs its own recruiting events and showcases. Comparable to Elite's GA/EA/DPL league-event management role, though ECNL is also a league operator rather than purely a tournament management partner.
• Jefferson Cup: Long-running Mid-Atlantic youth soccer tournament (Virginia). Direct competitor in the same geography with overlapping co-host club networks (McLean, OBGC area). Comparable event format, age-group structure, and college-showcase orientation.
• National Lacrosse Classic: National youth lacrosse tournament and showcase event. Directly comparable to Elite's lacrosse expansion strategy, targeting similar age groups and serving a comparable recruiting-showcase role for college coaches.

Regional players

• Surf Cup Sports: Major West Coast youth soccer tournament and showcase operator (Surf Cup, Surf College Cup). Comparable event product and showcase positioning, but operates primarily in California rather than competing head-to-head with Elite's Mid-Atlantic core.

Broad incumbents

• US Club Soccer: National governing body and event organizer for club-based youth soccer, including the NPL and id2 Program. Comparable in setting event calendars and managing national showcases, but operates as a sanctioning body rather than a commercial tournament organizer.
• IMG Academy: Broader sports training and event operator running youth showcases, camps, and tournaments across multiple sports. Comparable to Elite at the upper end of the youth-sports-events spectrum, but with a much wider portfolio and a residential training model.

Emerging players

• NXT Lacrosse Events: Mid-Atlantic youth lacrosse event operator. Comparable in geography and event format to Elite's expanding lacrosse business, though smaller in tournament count and without Elite's IWLCA-exclusive positioning.

Others

• GotSport: Event registration and management platform that Elite uses for all tournament applications, check-in, and roster management. A key infrastructure/enabler rather than a competitor, but adjacent to the operational core of Elite's business.
• TopDrawerSoccer: Youth soccer media outlet and event promoter (e.g., TDS Player Combine, ranking events). Comparable in serving the elite youth soccer audience and college recruiting ecosystem, but operates primarily as a media/rankings platform with secondary event activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elitetour
• YouTubeinstagram.com/elitetournaments
• Facebookfacebook.com/elitetournaments
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elite-tournaments
• Instagraminstagram.com/elitetournaments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elite Tournaments