2023 USMST Physicians Soccer Summit

8000 Great Park Boulevard,Irvine CA 92618

10 February, 2023

Description

The 2023 Physicians Soccer Summit is a three day event (Feb 10-12, 2023) for physicians focused on friendship, soccer, and education. Participants will be divided into teams and compete in a round-robin format soccer tournament, with full length games each day. Practice sessions with official USMST coaches will also allow for player and team growth. A medical conference, “The 2023 USMST Congress on Sport and Health”, will accompany the tournament and provide a forum for participants to interact professionally, network, and disseminate knowledge. There will also be a youth outreach event in support of our outreach program, "Healthy, Fit and Smart". A gala dinner on Saturday evening highlights our focus on friendship with our national and international cohort of physicians. The soccer activities will take place at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA. The official PSS hotel, the gala dinner, and site of the 2023 USMST Congress, will be the Hilton Costa Mesa in Costa Mesa, CA. FAQs1. Are non-physicians allowed to participate? The Physicians Soccer Summit (PSS) is for physicians only. All participants must be medical doctors with an MD or DO degree. 2. What is the tournament format? Players will be divided into teams for the weekend, depending the number of registered physicians. The Open division will be for players of any age wishing to compete in a more traditional 11 vs 11 format on a regulation field. The Masters division will be for players 45 years and older (must turn 45 by July 1, 2023) and will be a 7 vs 7 format, with a smaller field. There will be international teams from the region that will be participating, and will join the US Round Robin cohort teams in both the Open and Masters tournaments. 3. Is there an age cut-off? No. Any eligible physician of any age is welcome. Fitness is important to get through the weekend, but we incorporate everyone of all ages together on the teams. Keep in mind that if you are 45 or older, you can play either in the Open or Masters division, but not both. 4. How are the teams formed? We try to form the teams to make them competitive based on player age, skill, and position. Most players are known to us, but for the new players, the intake assessment at registration is our guide. 5. Do I get uniforms? We will provide each player with two high quality jerseys for the weekend. We will send out an email regarding the color of your own shorts and socks as the weekend draws closer, based on your team. 6. Grass or turf? Both. The Great Park in Irvine has beautiful, grass pitches. Given the unlikely, but not impossible, potential for rain, we have also incorporated a turf field into the weekend. Bring your cleats and any preferred turf shoes (cleats will work on the turf). 7. How do I play with USMST at the World Medical Football Championships (WMFC)? All Open and Masters (45 and over) players need to attend the PSS, as well as the MANDATORY additional two practice weekends to be on the roster for the 2023 World Medical Football Championships in Vienna, Austria, taking place July 1-8, 2023. We use the PSS to bring everyone from our organization (past and present) together at least once annually, and to also invite potential new players. The weekend is fantastic, and gives new players a flavor of what we're all about while also providing a fun opportunity to network and enjoy a weekend of friendship with our growing community. At the end of the weekend, our coaches and Competition Committee will work on creating our team roster for the WMFC, and notify the participants within a couple weeks. All players wishing to participate with USMST at the WMFC need to attend the mandatory practice weekends! Here are those practice weekends: 1. May 5-7, 2023, Columbus, OH. 2. June 9-11, 2023, Atlanta, GA (in conjunction with the FIFA Football is Medicine Congress) Our website also has the dates listed and additional information for the team practices. If you have any desire to play in the WMFC, block out all the required dates on your undoubtedly busy schedule! 8. Can I give a talk at the USMST Congress on Sport and Health? Yes!! We welcome everyone to give a talk, and information on how to submit an abstract appears at the end of the registration process. This medical conference is a true gem and one of the big highlights of the weekend! We need as many speakers as possible, so please consider giving a talk. It is an incredible way to get in front of our group and share your passion for any medical topic of interest, ideally focused on sport and health. 9. Do I receive Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit at the Congress? Yes. The Congress will provide up to 3 hours of AMA Category 1 CME Credit through the University of California - San Diego. 10. When do we get to interact off the pitch? We will have plenty of social activities during the weekend. Beyond the soccer, we'll have an informal Happy Hour on Friday evening and a Gala Dinner on Saturday night. Guests are welcome for all events, but will need tickets for the Gala Dinner. We will also have an outreach event during the weekend, which will be a great way to interact with your teammates while providing community service. 11. Can I get a refund if I can't attend? Unfortunately, we cannot honor refund requests after January 6, 2023 due to finalizing plans for the weekend. Requests coming prior to that will be reviewed on an individual basis. 12. Is there any more information on USMST? Our website: http://www.usmedicalsoccerteam.org/ A recent publication on our organization by USMST co-founder Gautam Nayak