Basin Electric equipment helps young soccer players watch World Cup

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Dakota United Soccer Club players watch the U.S. Men's National Soccer team compete in the World Cup using a Basin Electric projector.

Every four years, citizens of the United States come together to cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team as they compete in the FIFA World Cup, one of the most popular sporting events in the world.

On Dec. 3, the United States played the Netherlands in an elimination game after previously defeating Iran and splitting with England. Since the tournament takes place in Qatar (a country in western Asia) this year, the games have been at strange hours due to the time difference, but Dakota United Soccer Club in Bismarck, North Dakota, was able to take advantage of what would be USA’s final game in the tournament by making lasting memories and using a Basin Electric projector to do so.

Dakota United Soccer Club runs a winter soccer program for children in pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade. The club meets on Saturdays at the Fore Seasons Center in Bismarck. In a stroke of luck, the USA vs Netherlands game just so happened to take place during the first session of the club’s season, at 9 a.m. Central Time. This gave Jonny Sellars, Basin Electric real-time trader and Dakota United Soccer Club technical director, the idea to show the game during practice.

“Growing up, some of my best memories came from watching the World Cup with friends and family,” Sellars says. “I wanted to try and create that same experience for our players.”

Sellars and Troy Skelton, Basin Electric security operations center administrator III and president of Dakota United Soccer Club, worked together to find a projector to reach their goal. Skelton put Sellars in contact with Greg Wheeler, Basin Electric multimedia specialist III/senior audio video producer.

“Greg was amazing to work with and helped me get things set up,” Sellars says. “After everything was working great, I invited all the Dakota United membership, their families, and friends to come watch the game.”

Even though USA lost the elimination game to the Netherlands 1-3, the memories made by the children of Dakota United Soccer Club are sure to last a lifetime.