Jr. Irish Memorial Day invitational celebrates veterans and active-duty military

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Jr. Irish Soccer Club wrapped up the second day of their Memorial Day invitational Saturday.

This youth soccer tournament brought in a total of about 230 teams with players ranging from seven to 18 years old.

The event took place at two different locations and brought teams from five different states. Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois, and Ohio.

"We're pretty big this year, 235 teams, almost 400 games, hopefully bringing a good $1.2 to $1.5 million economic impacts to the area, which is obviously positive for St. Joe, and trying to showcase how great St. Joe County is," said Nick Swaim, Tournament Director and Executive Director of Coaching for Jr. Irish Soccer Club.

For the first time in the program's history, in-person military veterans and active-duty personnel came for a demonstration emphasizing the importance of Memorial Day and family time. 

"They raised the flag for us. I think they did taps and a few other things like that. So, you know, actually getting current and former members of the military involved, as opposed to just saying that we're, you know, a Memorial Day invitation, now we're trying to get back and trying to recognize, you know, as many people as we can, and all the great things they've done for us." said Swaim.