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On June 17, 2023, DC SCORES will celebrate twenty years of its annual soccer tournament fundraiser, SCORES Cup. For two decades, SCORES Cup has welcomed corporate teams from across the DMV to compete in an all-day tournament featuring competitive matches, VIP guests, and the best of DC’s food scene, all while raising funds for DC SCORES’ soccer, poetry, and service-learning programs.

This year, the tournament will be held at the Fields at RFK, on the very same site that was slated to host the first SCORES Cup in 2003. Scroll through the SCORES Cup scrapbook to see how the tournament has evolved over the years into one of the highlights of DC’s soccer calendar. And don’t forget to register your own corporate team for 2023 by April 15!

The First SCORES Cup

The first-ever SCORES Cup was held in 2003. Originally billed as the “Sharks Vs. Suits Shootout,” the tournament pitted teams from law firms (the “Sharks”) against those from corporate companies (the “Suits”) to battle it out to be crowned DMV champions. The original format featured 8 teams and raised $10,000 for DC SCORES!

The 2003 tournament was originally planned to be held at the RFK Auxiliary Fields in the shadow of D.C. United’s legendary RFK Stadium. Unfortunately, the location had to be moved at short notice when bad weather meant the fields would be damaged by play.

In 2018, D.C. United moved to a new home, Audi Field, but the RFK campus remains a key soccer hub in the District. In 2019, Events DC opened a newly renovated recreation center on the former site of Auxiliary Fields. Now known as the Fields at RFK, its three state-of-the-art synthetic turf fields will host the 2023 SCORES Cup!

A team fielded by hotel brand Marriott won the inaugural SCORES Cup after an undefeated streak to the final. Since then, Marriott has continued to compete in the tournament, earning the honor of being one of the most successful companies in SCORES Cup history. This year, Marriott will once again attempt to live up to past glories and will field a team from its Bethesda office.

The Birth of “SCORES Cup”

So, when did “Sharks Vs. Suits” become “SCORES Cup”? In 2010, DC SCORES unveiled a fresh name and new-look logo for the signature event. That year, the tournament also welcomed a new sponsor: women’s professional soccer team The Washington Freedom! If the name doesn’t sound familiar, it may be because the club is now known as the Washington Spirit!

In 2013, DC SCORES celebrated 10 years of SCORES Cup with the largest bracket in the tournament’s history. 30 teams played more than 80 games and raised over $100,000 for the nonprofit. That year’s tournament also featured a meet and greet with DC native and USMNT star Oguchi Onyewu!

Throughout its twenty-year history, SCORES Cup has been held at many locations around the DMV. After its first year, the rapidly expanding event moved to Trinity University and later to Maryland Soccerplex more than 20 miles north of the District. In 2021, after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, DC SCORES was pleased to bring SCORES Cup back to the District at the Fields at RFK!

Twenty Years of Close Partnerships

For the last two decades, DC SCORES has relied on the support of numerous partners to host SCORES Cup. From the tournament’s first outing at RFK’s Auxiliary Fields, D.C. United has been a stalwart SCORES Cup partner and has served as an official sponsor of the event since its inception. In recent years, D.C. United legends have also joined the tournament, playing as “super subs” for teams that raised the most money for DC SCORES!

Adult soccer non-profit District Sports has been a partner of SCORES Cup since 2021. District Sports is the largest provider of recreational adult soccer leagues in DC and bring their tournament management skills to the event to manage logistics, provide equipment, and tournament operations. In previous years, the District Sports team has also showed off their prowess on the field, winning the 2013 SCORES Cup against tournament favorites Marriott!

This year, SCORES Cup will have a new presenting sponsor: EagleBank! The community bank serves customers in DC, Virginia, and Maryland and is headquartered just outside the District in Bethesda, Maryland. As the presenting sponsor, EagleBank is not only offsetting the cost of running the tournament but will fund the participation of the DC SCORES coaches team as well as fielding a squad of staff from the bank.