JulyFest weekend is upon us and that means the JulyFest Soccer tournament is taking place for the 45th year in a row.
Teams and referees from all across B.C., Alberta, Montana and Idaho will be in town for the weekend, playing over 100 games of soccer across two days.
Tournament Organizer Simon Davidson says he’s excited to see what the teams have to offer.
“The men’s competitive team from Cranbrook, the Ramblers are returning and it’s going to be great to see what they bring to the table,” he said. “We’ve also got a new team, Cranbrook FC, and the reigning champs, the Unicorns. Again we’ll see the Los Amigos and the Kimberley Old Boys who play year in and year out, reliving their youth. The Ramblers did well last year as well as Montana, it will be exciting to see how they do this year.”
The tournament will take place all day Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22 across the soccer fields in Kimberley including Purcell, Marysville, Central, Chapman Camp, Blarchmont and Selkirk.
“We’re really appreciate all of the work that’s gone into the Purcell fields, from the washroom facilities to the turf,” said Davidson.
The finals will start around 2:30p.m. on Sunday, at the Purcell fields in Marysville, with the Men and Women competitive teams. Sunday is a knock out play; if you loose you go home.
“It’s always a great time on Sunday afternoon at the Purcell fields. You can sit and watch one game and then just turn your chair around and watch another,” Davidson said.
He adds that the tournament is a great spectator sport, wot lots of locals and people from out of town coming out to cheer on their friends and family.
“Some of the teams bring a whole entourage, it’s cool to see kids cheering on their parents and everyone getting really excited,” Davidson explained. “One team, Blue Steel, always brings cheerleading and around 75 people to each game. It’s really neat to see that support.”
Davidson says he would like to thank all of the sponsors for this year’s event and looks forward to seeing everyone this weekend.
For the full schedule and rules visit julyfestsoccer.com.
