On Saturday, August 15, Lair Athletics is bringing Keeper Wars to the Soccer 5 Snohomish County Grand Opening in Woodinville.
The day starts with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:00 PM, followed by Keeper Wars, community activities, facility tours, local partner booths, and an adult soccer tournament later in the afternoon.
This is not just a goalkeeper event. It is a chance for the local soccer community to see the new space, meet some of the people and organizations working in the area, and spend the day around the game.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, August 15
Location: Soccer 5
Address: 8729 216th St SE Building C, Woodinville, WA 98072
Keeper Wars Check-in: 12:00 PM
Registration: Free
Capacity: 6 goalkeepers per division
Cash Prizes: $500 total
Rules: LA Keeper Wars Rules
REGISTER HERE
Families should arrive by noon for check-in and the ribbon-cutting ceremony before Keeper Wars begins.
Four Divisions. Four Winners.
Keeper Wars will include four divisions:
Ages 9 to 11: $100 cash prize
Ages 12 to 13: $100 cash prize
Ages 14 to 16: $100 cash prize
Open Division: $200 cash prize
Each division will be capped at six goalkeepers.
Keeping the groups small means more games, more meaningful repetitions, and a format where every goalkeeper has a real opportunity to compete for the final.
Lair Athletics is also working with The Northwest Soccer Foundation to help support the cash prizes, swag, giveaways, and other community pieces of the event.
What Is Keeper Wars?
Keeper Wars puts two goalkeepers against each other on a shortened field.
Each goalkeeper protects their own goal while also trying to score on the goalkeeper across from them. Players can attack through throws, volleys, side volleys, kicks, and other goalkeeper distribution techniques.
It is fast, technical, tiring, and usually a little chaotic.
That is what makes it fun.
You attack, recover, reset your feet, read the next action, and immediately prepare to make a save. One mistake can turn into a goal, but one save can completely change the match.
For once, the goalkeeper is not waiting for the game to find them. They are involved in every action.
“I’m really excited to bring Keeper Wars to the Soccer 5 SnoCo grand opening. It gives goalkeepers a chance to compete in a different way, but it also gives families and the local soccer community a reason to come together and experience the new space.”
REGISTER HERE
One Field. One Featured Competition.
Keeper Wars will run on one dedicated field, allowing Soccer 5 to use the rest of the facility for other grand-opening activities and community programming.
Using one field also gives the event a better atmosphere. Instead of splitting the crowd across multiple fields, each division gets its own featured window.
Players, families, coaches, and spectators can watch each group compete and support the goalkeepers throughout the afternoon.
Tentative Keeper Wars Schedule
12:00 PM
Check-in and ribbon-cutting ceremony
12:15 to 1:00 PM
Ages 9 to 11
1:00 to 1:45 PM
Ages 12 to 13
1:45 to 2:30 PM
Ages 14 to 16
2:30 to 3:15 PM
Open Division
3:15 to 3:30 PM
Awards, champion photos, and recognition
3:30 to 4:00 PM
Schedule buffer, exhibition matches, or field transition
The exact competition format may change based on registration totals.
With four goalkeepers, a division may use a shortened round robin followed by a championship match. With five or six goalkeepers, the division may use pool play followed by a final.
More Than Keeper Wars
Soccer 5 wants the grand opening to show the different ways the facility can serve the local soccer community.
While Keeper Wars runs on one field, other areas of the facility will feature additional soccer activities, demonstrations, tours, and opportunities for people to experience the space.
The celebration will also include community partner booths in the parking lot, with local organizations sharing information, giveaways, and interactive activities.
Lair Athletics and The Northwest Soccer Foundation plan to have their own community space, giving families a chance to learn more about goalkeeper training, scholarships, local soccer programs, and future events.
After Keeper Wars, Soccer 5 will continue the day with an adult soccer tournament.
Come for the ribbon cutting, watch Keeper Wars, walk through the facility, meet local soccer organizations, and stay for the tournament.
REGISTER HERE
A New Soccer Space in Woodinville
Soccer 5 Snohomish County is an indoor, small-sided soccer facility designed for year-round play, training, leagues, tournaments, camps, clinics, and community events.
The facility includes multiple enclosed turf fields, small-sided goals, spectator areas, and a setup built around faster games and more involvement.
On smaller fields, players get more touches and make more decisions. The ball stays in play, the game moves quickly, and everyone stays involved.
For goalkeepers, that means:
- More shots
- More one-on-one situations
- More distribution opportunities
- Faster transitions
- More decisions under pressure
- More meaningful repetitions
It is the kind of environment where players have to stay connected to the game, which makes it a strong space for both competition and development.
Soccer 5 SnoCo is excited to partner with Lair Athletics to present "Keeper Wars" at our Grand Opening on August 15th!
We are proud to be a family-owned business, committed to increasing access to soccer for everyone. We strive to partner with other local businesses and we are dedicated to building a stronger community through a shared love of the world’s beautiful game."
A Training Location for Lair Athletics
Soccer 5 is also becoming an important training location for Lair Athletics.
The enclosed fields create a controlled, high-energy environment where goalkeepers can work through realistic actions without spending half the session chasing balls across a full-sized field.
Lair Athletics can use the facility for:
- Small-group goalkeeper training
- Private sessions
- Shot-stopping and reaction work
- One-on-one situations
- Distribution and finishing
- Keeper Wars preparation
- Camps and clinics
- Special goalkeeper events
The setup allows us to create more quality repetitions in less time while still keeping the work competitive and game-realistic.
We do not want goalkeepers standing in long lines waiting for one repetition. We want them moving, communicating, thinking, making decisions, and staying involved with the ball.
Soccer 5 gives us a space where we can do that consistently.
Why We Are Hosting This
Goalkeepers spend a lot of games working in the background.
They communicate, organize the defense, clean up mistakes, make saves, and often get the most attention when something goes wrong.
Keeper Wars changes that.
Every save matters. Every shot matters. Every decision matters. The goalkeeper gets to compete, show some personality, and take ownership of the match.
We also want to bring goalkeepers from different clubs, teams, age groups, and communities together.
They may compete against each other during Keeper Wars and then train beside each other later. That is part of what makes the goalkeeper community different.
We compete hard, but we also understand the position and support the people who play it.
Registration
Registration is free, but each division only has six available spots.
REGISTER HERE
Goalkeepers should register for the division that matches their age on the day of the event. The Open Division is available for older youth and adult goalkeepers ready to compete in the highest division.
Additional information covering registration, match rules, equipment, waivers, check-in, and final scheduling will be shared through Lair Athletics and Soccer 5 Snohomish County.
Follow Lair Athletics and @soccer5snoco for registration announcements and event updates.
Come celebrate the Soccer 5 SnoCo grand opening, watch some good goalkeeping, and help us crown the first Lair Athletics Keeper Wars winners.