LSF Key to Sting's Success at 2025 Nebraska Fall Classic
The 2025 Nebraska Fall Classic, held on October 18–19, 2025, headlined a record-setting weekend at the Lincoln Sports Foundation, as the tournament and the Heartland Motocross Championship Series together brought more than 20,000 visitors to the complex, making it the most attended weekend at the facility since 2015.
“Seeing the energy across the entire complex was incredible,” Lincoln Sports Foundation Director of Facilities Sam Lesoing said. “We had over 20,000 people here—it felt alive in a way that captures exactly what we’ve been working toward. Watching families, players, and fans fill the space and enjoy everything from great matches to food trucks was a huge moment of pride for our whole team.”
The tournament, hosted by Sting partners FCTR and Lincoln Sports Foundation, was not only a huge success for LSF, but also for several Sting teams, as Sting NE Pre-Elite B14 Beckmann, Sting NE 2017G Waldoch and Sting NE 2016B Waldoch Brave all took first place in their respective divisions.
“My favorite part of the tournament was when the final goal was scored in my U9 girls PK shootout,” Sting Nebraska Academy Director Matt Waldoch said. “It was that group’s first experience with penalties, and they had not realized that was the decisive goal. The hesitation before the delayed celebration was as hilarious as it was sincere. Watching those young women prevail against a team they lost to 7-2 earlier that day was one of the most special moments of my coaching journey thus far.”
However, the path to a tournament win started well before the games kicked off for the tournament, and Sting’s partnership with Lincoln Sports Foundation is a key part of the club’s continued success in Nebraska.
“LSF is a wonderful complex with fields for all levels of play,” Waldoch said. “The club having four full sized fields in the back quad, two of them with lights, provide consistency and availability that benefit coaches, teams and, most importantly, the players. LSF provides us with a wonderful outdoor facility in Lincoln to call our home base.”
Sting’s partnership with Lincoln Sports Foundation is also key to helping further LSF’s goals.
“Partnering with FCTR and Sting strengthens our mission by bringing in organizations that share our passion for player development and community impact,” Lesoing said. “These partnerships help us provide consistent, high-level competition and programming that keeps our fields and facilities active year-round. It’s the type of collaboration that makes LSF a true home for athletes of all ages and skill levels.”
The symbiotic partnership has already brought the people of Lincoln, Nebraska, together for one spectacular tournament, but Lesoing believes it is just the beginning.
“The success of this year’s event showed there’s strong demand for a fall showcase of this scale in Lincoln,” he continued. “We plan to build on it each year and continue making the Nebraska Fall Classic a signature event for LSF and the region.”
And thanks to LSF, all of Sting Nebraska’s teams are ready to take home more tournament gold.
