Totem Hall was rocking all weekend long at the first-ever Squamish Nation Recreation and Squamish Valley Thunder indoor soccer tournament.
Seven men’s teams and three women’s teams hit the floor with round-robin play getting underway on Friday (Feb. 15) and continuing on Saturday (Feb. 16) with division finals and awards handed out on Sunday (Feb. 17).
Tournament organizer April Newman said the vibe was positive all weekend long and added that she hopes the weekend of indoor soccer action can become an annual event.
“I was pretty stoked to see there was a lot of support for all the teams and was a little shocked at how many people were watching some of the games,” she said, noting that the stands at Totem Hall were jammed with fans during the final games on Sunday.
Newman said she received mostly positive feedback from participants.
“They definitely enjoyed it,” she said, pointing out that teams came from Vancouver, Lillooet, Agassiz and Squamish. “A lot of teams were impressed and quite a few of them told me they wanted to come back next year.”
She hopes the tournament can become an annual event and grow to include more teams for 2014. The tournament final saw Squamish team Awits Slhanays defeat Lil’wat 4-3 in the women’s division and the Vancouver Snipers beat Sikh Temple from Squamish 18-5 in the men’s final.
Those wanting to get more involved in the indoor soccer scene locally are invited to drop-in sessions at Totem Hall every Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m.
