Soccer Tournament in Decatur Draws More Than 50 Teams

The Tournament was Originally Scheduled for March

Reyna has the night off.

Over in morgan county -- a soccer tournament that was delayed due to the pandemic finally kicked off this morning.

The "battle at the jack" was originally scheduled for mid-march.

Waay 31's max cohan joins us live from the jack allen recreation complex in decatur after catching up with parents about the competition and how they felt about the safety procedures they saw saturday.

Will, the battle at the jack tournament expects to draw in more than 50 teams from across the southeast this weekend.

With an event of the size, safety is a top priority -- but it seemed that several of the events protocols weren't being followed or enforced.

As young athletes took the field saturday -- dozens of fans watched and cheered.

But it would appear that some of the protocols the event had listed -- such as maintaining proper social distancing and masking when not socially distanced -- weren't being strongly followed or enforced.

Other protocols like field spacing were clearly seen and many in the crowd tried to space themselves out...some told me they felt completely safe, believing organizers took the right approach.

Billy ray - has a child playing in the tournament "yeah, i think they're doing a great job with it and i think most people out here are just happy to have the experience and so they want to kind of abide by the rules."

While many of those sitting elbow to elbow without masks seemed very comfortable -- a handful of people decided to be extra cautious.

Brian pedroso is among them.

"it's really paying attention to other people and then their space.

I'm giving them their space."

Like several other people, pedroso decided to watch the game from the parking lot -- in his case, the bed of his truck.

"i don't want to infringe on anybody else what they think, and like i said, by default, i'm maintaining my distance in the truck."

But beyond pandemic precautions, some parents just see the tournament as a great experience for their kids.

Elise coon - mother of participants "and the kids really enjoy getting together with their team again.

It's been good for them to get out, run around and talk to their friends and see their friends face to face.

While masks weren't popular today -- everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the parents i spoke to all seemed satisfied with the way the things were running.

Live from jack allen recreation complex, max cohan,