Totem Hall will be turned into a soccer pitch, of sorts, at the first-ever Squamish Nation Recreation and Squamish Valley Thunder indoor soccer tournament.
The event takes place Feb. 15 to 17 and will feature futsal rules. April Newman, senior recreation coordinator and tournament organizer, said the response has been strong for the event.
“Within the first week that I started calling teams, the response was phenomenal,” she said. “We’ve got 10 teams confirmed so far, including some from Squamish and Vancouver.”
Newman said there will be men’s and women’s divisions, with each team having a maximum of 14 players. Games will be five-a-side including goalies and teams will play two 20-minute halves. There is a $200 entry fee for each team and the top three teams in each division will win cash prizes. Youth aged 16 and up are free to participate, provided they have parental consent.
According to Newman, the idea for the tournament came about after a conversation with Deanna Lewis of the Squamish Valley Thunder.
“We both play indoor soccer and thought it would be a good idea to start a tournament,” she said.
Newman said Totem Hall hosts indoor soccer games every Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. and said the games attract 20 or more players on a regular basis. She added that the drop-in Wednesday night indoor games are open to anyone interested.
The tournament is expected to start Friday evening, with a full day of action on Saturday and the final games and awards presented on Sunday. Newman said she’s hoping for a few more women’s teams to fill out the tournament but that everyone is welcome to register.
For more details on the tournament, email april_newman@squamish.net or pick up registration forms from Totem Hall.
