2025 State Soccer Tournament Information

Congratulations on qualifying for the 2025 Iowa Girls State Soccer Tournament. The following information should answer some questions you and your fans may have in preparing for this year’s tournament. Please read the information below carefully and share it with your parents and fans.

For all State Girls Soccer Team qualifiers (Head Coach and AD), the IGHSAU will have a required Zoom meeting on Monday, June 2 at 8:00 a.m. to cover the logistics and information related to the State Soccer Tournament. This link will be emailed to all head coaches and AD's of state qualifying schools after the completion of all regional finals.

The State Soccer Tournament will be held on June 3, June 5, & June 7 at Iowa State University. The June 3 quarterfinals and the June 5 semi-finals will be held at the Lied Recreational Fields in Ames on the Iowa State University campus. The state championship games on Saturday, June 7, will be held at the Cyclone Sports Complex on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. The State Soccer schedule is on the IGHSAU website in the section entitled “State Soccer Tournament Central.”

BOUND:  Statistics on Bound must be updated by noon Saturday, May 31. Please be sure stats through your regional final match are posted in the Bound database. Also, please cross-check your Bound roster. The roster in Bound is the roster that will appear in the program.

TICKETS SOLD ONLY THROUGH BOUND: Tickets are $13 plus processing fees and must be purchased through Bound. The price of $13 includes the cost for parking. You can access these tickets by going to the top of the IGHSAU website under “State Soccer Tournament Central.” All ticket sales are digital tickets. No cash sales will be conducted on-site. Spectator gates open at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 3; 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 7. Children not yet in kindergarten will be admitted for free. You will be stamped when you enter the complex. If you leave the complex and plan to attend another match later in the day, your stamp must be visible to re-enter the park. If no stamp is visible, you must purchase another ticket.

PLEASE NOTE: Spectators will NOT be allowed to bring the following items inside the Lied Recreational Fields complex nor into the Cyclone Sports Complex: Coolers & Thermoses, backpacks & large bags, outside food & drink, and weapons of any kind. Be prepared to have items you bring into the park inspected.

Lawn chairs, strollers, and umbrellas ARE permitted into the complex.

Teams may bring their coolers to the park and must be brought in by the team when they check into the facility. Water will be available at each team’s bench. The expectation is that the cooler is specifically for team use only.

SPECTATOR PARKING: The admission price of $13 will include the fee for parking.   

TEAM BUS DROP-OFF AND PARKING: Team buses have a designated drop-off area and parking area. Please click on the attached mapto see where buses should drop off and park at Lied Recreational Fields for first round and semi-final matches. A map of the Cyclone Sports Complex, site the championship matches, can be viewed by clicking here. 

EMERGENCY PERSONNEL: The Ames Fire and Rescue Department will provide emergency personnel for players, officials, and spectators. They will be located west of the admission area on the parking lot at Lied Recreational Facility and at the Northwest Corner of the Cyclone Sports Complex. They will be on site 30 minutes before the day’s first match starts.

TRAINERS: Trainers from Iowa State University will be on-site before the first game each day until the last contest of each day. Their tent will be located by the team benches at both Lied Recreational Fields and Cyclone Sports Complex.

ROYAL PUBLISHING: Royal Publishing out of Peoria, Ill., is licensed by the IGHSAU to sell “hometown” advertisements in the state tournament program. Royal Publishing may contact your local businesses and booster clubs about purchasing an ad in the State Soccer Program. Businesses and booster clubs are not obligated to buy an ad for the program.

TOURNAMENT REGULATIONS:  Please review the 2025 Soccer Manual, which includes rules and regulations for tournament play. The Soccer Manual is on the IGHSAU website in the Soccer section, listed under the Coaches & Administrators tab. In addition, the Soccer Manual is located on the top of the IGHSAU website under “State Soccer Tournament Central.” Please remind your fans that signs, banners, and artificial noisemakers are prohibited. Fans are not permitted on the playing fields at any time. Also, pets will not be allowed into the complex.

TEAM ADMISSION:   Upon drop off at Lied Recreational Fields, your team will check in at the practice field table with Elise and be given instructions on warm-ups and pre-game and receive a timing sheet for pre-game and introductions.Following this, your team will be admitted through the pass gate near the spectator admission. You are limited to 28 people, including 22 players, coaches, managers, bus driver, etc. A pass gate form can be found by going to the forms section in your Bound Account. Please fill out the Bound form, click save, print, and bring the roster to Heidi Reed at the pass gate when you arrive. School trainers must be included in the school’s travel party. Any additional personnel beyond the allotted 28 must purchase a ticket, or the IGHSAU can bill your school.

WARM-UP AND PRE-GAME PROCEDURES:  Each team must provide its own warm-up balls. We will utilize two fields during the quarterfinal and semi-final round play at the state tournament. Fields 1 and 2 in the practice area will be used for warm-up. Teams on the top line of the bracket will practice on Field 1, and teams on the bottom line of the bracket will warm up on Field 2. Teams will need to complete all their warm-ups on the practice field, as teams will be allowed only 5 minutes on the Lied Recreational game fields on Tuesday, June 3 for the quarterfinals. For the semi-finals, teams will be allowed 20 minutes of warm-ups on the game field.

Each day, the National Anthem will be presented before the first match. Team introductions will commence five minutes before the start of each match. After the National Anthem, schools should line up in front of their bench at the touchline. If there is no National Anthem, line up at the touchline after the time has expired for warm-ups. A timing sheet will be provided to teams when they arrive stating the introduction procedures. Coaches are required to participate in introductions.

BENCH ASSIGNMENT:  Both teams will occupy benches on the same side of the field during the state tournament. When facing the field, the home team (top seed) will occupy the bench to the right of the scorekeeper. The visiting team (lower seed) will occupy the bench to the left of the scorekeeper when facing the field. Tents will be set up and provided for all games.

GAME ROSTER:  You can change your roster of 22 players from match to match. The coach must enter the eligible game roster in the official scorebook located at each field before the match. Please have a coaching staff member check with the public address announcer upon your arrival to verify pronunciations and starting line-ups.

AWARDS & ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS:  Awards will be presented to non-advancing teams following each match. The advancing teams will participate in an “Advance the Bracket” activity in the presentation areas. Teams are expectedto return to their team area immediately following handshakes so awards can be presented. The 11-member All-Tournament team will be announced and presented on the championship field at the Cyclone Sports Complex immediately upon completion of the championship match in each class.

VIDEOTAPING:  There is no designated space for teams or fans to videotape. Paying spectators, including anyone filming for scouting purposes, are not restricted from videotaping as long as the video equipment is handheld. The use of tripods is prohibited in the stands. The tournament manager will not make special arrangements for seating or electrical hook-up for anyone wishing to videotape. Seating is limited in the press box, and teams will be prohibited from taping in the press box.

QUARTERFINALS/SEMI-FINALS STREAMED: The IGHSAU Digital Network powered by MidAmerican Energy will stream the state quarterfinals and semi-finals on the IGHSAU website.

CHAMPIONSHIPS MATCHES ON IOWA PUBLIC TELEVISION: We proudly announce that the championship matches will be broadcast and streamed live on Iowa Public Television. Links to the stream will be posted on the IGHSAU website.

FARM BUREAU SOUVENIR BALLS:  Each team participating in this year’s state tournament will receive 24 souvenir soccer balls from Farm Bureau for players and coaches. These balls will be shipped directly via UPS to your school. Your school may purchase additional balls for $25 each by contacting Taylor Anderson – taylor@ighsau.org.

Please contact Gary Ross (gross@ighsau.org) with questions regarding the State Soccer Tournament.

Congratulations and good luck!

Gary Ross
Associate Director/Soccer Administrator