The 31st annual Squamish Soccerfest is set to take over the Brennan Park fields on Saturday and Sunday (April 16 and 17) with 72 teams battling it out for soccer supremacy.
It's the seventh year that the Squamish Soccer Association (SSA) has been running the tournament and the money raised from the weekend of action has helped the sport grow in the Sea to Sky Corridor. Cecil Van Sickle, one of the event's organizers, said this year's event sold out in short order.
"The women's side was sold out in just under a month and a half," he said. "And the men's side was about the same."
The tournament is divided into men's and women's divisions, with each side having an open division, an open/recreation division, as well as 30-plus and 40-plus divisions.
Games are set to begin bright and early at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and lasting well into the evening, with all four Brennan Park fields packed with games.
In addition to the soccer games, there will be a beer garden, live music and a DJ performing. The beer garden, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. both days, will be the scene of 50/50 draws each day. There will also be a concession, which will serve all sorts of goodies and will be open at 7:45 a.m. on both days. Saturday will also see the Grizzly Bar host a dance with live music to celebrate the tournament.
This will also be the second year the tournament honours longtime soccer referee Bobby Mahnger, who succumbed to cancer in January 2010. The SSA created an outstanding official's trophy in his name last season and will continue that tradition again this year.
"It was pretty emotional for all of us when he passed away last year," Van Sickle said. "He was huge in the soccer community and it's great to have this award to honour him."
The SSA also created a scholarship at Howe Sound Secondary in his name to keep his memory alive. Soccerfest also honours the most sportsmanlike team with the Mark Burritt Sportsmanship Award.
There was also some talk of Soccerfest adding a men's 50-plus division but Van Sickle said that will have to be put off for at least another year. All the fields at Brennan Park are completely full for the entire weekend, which leaves no room for additional teams and divisions.
The 2011 Squamish Soccerfest will kick off bright and early on Saturday morning and run all the way until Sunday evening. All games take place at the Brennan Park fields and money raised from the event will support the sport of soccer and the soccer players in Squamish.
For more information on the event, visit www.squamishsoccerassociation.com.
