Dayton World Soccer Games kick off

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - The first Dayton World Soccer Games kicked off Saturday at the Action Sports Center with 24 teams representing more than a dozen immigrant communities living in the Dayton area.

Communities represented include immigrants from Bolivia, Burundi, China, Congo, Ethiopia, Italy, Germany, Kuwait, Lithuania, Mexico, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Syria. A team of Dayton natives will also participate.

Opening ceremonies for the games were held Friday night and featured a parade of flags and a police-fire scrimmage game. The tournament games began at 8 a.m. Saturday and run until 6 p.m.

Teams playing in the tournament consist of youth and adult teams.

Admission to the games is free, and food and beverages at the tournament will be available for purchase. RTA will provide free hourly shuttles from the Wright Stop Transit Plaza to the Action Sports Center located at 1103 Gateway Drive from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

The Dayton World Soccer Games are inspired by the Welcome Dayton Initiative, an immigrant friendly city program launched by the city in 2011.