History

The idea of a cultural exchange between soccer players from Duluth, Minnesota and its sister city in Sweden, Växjö, came from Katie DeGrio. She was part of a local group of students who welcomed several Swedes to Duluth for three weeks in May 1997. Later that summer she mentioned to her father, Ron DeGrio, that it would be nice to take some teams over to play soccer in Sweden.

So for the next year or so, they began planning for the trip.

In 1999, Swedes from the Växjö area invited Duluth to create an exchange between the two communities and that summer, Duluth sent three girls teams. Player's ages ranged from 14-17 years.

Upon their return, the DeGrios and other parents began planning for hosting a tournament in 2000. They fielded 3 girls team and one boys team.

In 2001 and before 911, Duluth recruited 2 girls and 2 boys teams, ages 15 and 16 and traveled to Sweden.

Duluth hosted in 2002, 2 girls, 2 boys inviting teams from all over the area to participate in the tournament.

A year later, just one girl and one boy team flew to Sweden. The number of teams was impacted by the fear of flying following 911. While in Sweden parents had several discussions about taking the program to the next level and organizing a non-profit, 501 c 3 organization with bylaws and a board of directors.

While preparing for and hosting the 2004 tournament, the parents worked diligently to put the pieces together for creating the Duluth Växjö Soccer Exchange (DVSE), the organization that sponsors the annual Soccer Cup in either the USA or Sweden. DVSE works closely with its friends in Sweden to provide a meaningful cultural experience for its participants. Duluth fielded two girl's and two boy's teams, ages 15 and 16 in 2004.

At the start of 2005, DVSE empanelled its first board, made up of those parents who discussed creating the organization while in Sweden in 2003.

That summer DVSE sent four more teams to Sweden along with more than 25 parents and siblings. The interest in visiting Växjö and the communities nearby has increased dramatically. Many families began planning for future visits as part of DVSE and as part of family vacations.

In 2006 the tournament drew large crowds and was a great success. Candidates for the new Board were drawn from interested parents who helped organize the tournament. This level of interest clearly signaled that DVSE was ready to hand over the reins to a new group of eager parents to carry on the mission of the cultural exchange.

In 2007 four teams with more than 60 players, the largest group of players since the program began, traveled to Sweden with more than 35 adults, siblings and friends. The group included three former players and many younger siblings of former participants. Adult leaders from both the U.S. and Sweden agreed this program has become more than just a soccer exchange. The lasting friendships and friendly spirit of the participants have been and continue to be incredible.