CANTON—SUNY Canton and Madrid-Waddington Central School will introduce drone soccer to the community Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Academy of Model Aeronautics District II qualifier competition. The event will take place at SUNY Canton's Dana Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Drone soccer is a fast-paced team competition where five players per team pilot drones inside ball-shaped cages in an enclosed arena. 

The object of the game is to fly one designated “striker” through the opponent’s goal, according to a Feb. 2 press release from SUNY Canton. 

Local drone soccer teams from Madrid-Waddington, Salmon River, and Gouverneur will face other teams from throughout the state in the double elimination tournament. 

The first and second place teams will advance to the U.S. Drone Soccer District II finals at SUNY Polytechnic Institute March 8. 

Madrid-Waddington's drone soccer program has been operating for four years and has consistently ranked within the top six teams nationally for the past three. 

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, and cybersecurity, giving students an advantage in their college education.