PV Mavericks Take Over SoFi Stadium
• SoFi Stadium in Inglewood played host to the Pop Warner Southern California Conference Championships last week.
Three Palos Verdes Mavericks youth football teams got the unique opportunity to play games at the brand-new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on October 28.
The Junior Pee Wee, 12U and 14U teams played their league championship games against two teams from the Watts Rams and West Valley Rebels. The Junior Pee Wee and 12U Palos Verdes Mavericks both left SoFi victorious, while the 14U Mavericks fell to the West Valley Rebels from Lancaster.
Palos Verdes cheerleaders also had the opportunity to cheer on the field of SoFi Stadium, which hosts the National Football League’s Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. The stadium, which is tied for the newest in the NFL, will host Super Bowl LVI in February.
The PV Challengers got to play on the field between the 10U and 12U games.
It was the first time the championship games were been held at SoFi, being a brand new stadium.
In previous years, the championship games were played at Ventura City College. Organizers saw this as an opportunity to provide the young players with a unique and remarkable experience after their previous season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Laura Hughes, a main event organizer, said, “We knew it would be a challenge to pull off the event at SoFi, but it was worth it to give the kids an unforgettable experience.”
The event also gave the players extra motivation throughout the season. Hughes added, “All season, we could hear players saying, ‘Let’s go, we want to play at SoFi.’ It became a motivator as well as an incredible experience.”
The games also gave fans from around the Los Angeles area an opportunity to see the brand new stadium firsthand. SoFi Stadium, daunting in size, can hold up to 70,000 fans. It cost $5 billion to build, first opening for the 2020 NFL season.
With a roof that does not fully enclose the stadium, the stadium maintains an outdoor feel. The roof, which is not retractable, is mostly transparent, allowing fans to see aircraft descending into LAX.
All three Palos Verdes teams that played at SoFi Stadium now will compete in the Wescon Regional Playoffs, which begin Saturday, November 6, at Redondo Union High School.
