Mike Hutton isn’t chicken about using soccer to unite his community.

The owner-operator of the Chick-fil-A on York Road in Cockeysville said it’s important for his company to give back to local residents and promote family values.

That’s why the fast-food franchise is involved with the Chick-fil-A Regional Soccer Tournament, a 5-on-5 event at Western Regional Park in Woodbine this weekend.

“The event is to give kids an opportunity to go out and play soccer and the parents to come out, get involved and watch,” Hutton said. “We have all kinds of different players coming together saying ‘Let’s create this great event for the kids.’ People saw it last year and said ‘Yeah, we want to be part of this grass roots movement to bring communities together.’”

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The event, which is open to boys and girls teams, is expected to have 140 squads after drawing 100 last year.

The tournament, which is sponsored by The Examiner and has divisions for teams for each age group between under-6 and under-19, begins on 6 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday. Admission, which includes a family-oriented concert on Friday night featuring Sanctus Real, is free.

Children between the ages of 6 and 15 also can participate in clinics on Saturday taught by former Baltimore Blast standout Mike Stankovic and players on Crystal Palace, the area’s outdoor professional soccer team.

Palace and Stankovic have been running free clinics throughout the spring and the summer for local youth, including sessions in Odenton, Pasadena, Glyndon, Towson and Bel Air.

“As the professional team in town, we have a responsibility to give back our knowledge of the game,” Pete Medd, Crystal Palace’s president and co-manager said. “With our  unique perspective we have a responsibility to give to everyone in the area enjoying soccer.”

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com