SUNY Canton Invites Community to Youth Drone Soccer Competition

SUNY Canton and Madrid-Waddington Central School welcome the community to support local youth drone soccer at the Academy of Model Aeronautics District II qualifier competition at SUNY Canton’s Dana Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.

Drone soccer is a fast-paced, team-based sport where five players per team pilot drones inside ball-shaped cages in an enclosed arena, with one designated “striker” trying to fly through the opponent's goal. The competition blends STEAM with teamwork and strategy.

Teams from Madrid-Waddington Central School, Salmon River Central School, Gouverneur Central School, Utica Academy of Science Charter School, and the Citizenship and Science Academy of Syracuse will compete in a double elimination tournament where the first and second place teams will advance to the U.S. Drone Soccer District II (NY, NJ, DE and Europe) finals at SUNY Polytechnic Institute March 8. Each district will send its top teams to the national championships at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach in May.

Now entering its fourth year, Madrid-Waddington’s drone soccer program has grown from a simple STEAM engagement idea to a nationally ranked team. The school now has two competitive teams and has ranked in the top six nationally for the past three years.

The school has also partnered with SUNY Canton to launch a two-year early college program called Drone and Computer Technologies, which consists of no-cost college credits for courses related to unmanned aircraft systems, 3D printing, AI literacy, cybersecurity and more. The program can put students a year ahead in their college education.