The ground has been broken on Squamish's brand new turf field and the 麻豆社国产Soccer Association (SSA) wants to celebrate.
The group is inviting anyone and everyone to participate in the first-ever Community Celebration Drop-In Soccer Tournament on Aug. 11.
"They've finally started working on the fields and the idea behind this tournament is to celebrate the fact that this is actually going to happen," said Tanya Babuin of the SSA.
Teams will be completely random and will be separated into those over 16 and under 16. Older players will be playing on the community field at Howe Sound Secondary School in a traditional 11 on 11 format, while younger players will hit the pitch eight to a side on the smaller adjacent field. All teams will be co-ed with a certain number of females on the pitch at all times.
There will be a minimal fee for each player, with a tournament format being constructed based on the number of teams signed up. Organizers said teams should expect at least two or three games at a minimum. The SSA wants to see the entire community come out and celebrate the eventual arrival of the new field.
"I'm hoping we get lots of people out," Babuin said.
"We want to see all people, all parts of the community," said the SSA's Jose Oreamuno.
According to Babuin and Oreamuno, the turf field is likely to be ready by October and the SSA is looking forward to the new facility.
"We're pretty excited for the opening," Oreamuno said. "Tanya has been going there daily to see the progress and take pictures."
Another new addition to the fields will be the completion of the kicking wall. The concrete wall has been sitting near the turf fields for four years but will now be outfitted with its own field and fences to actually make use of the practice device.
"On both sides of the wall there will be a 60-by-60-foot fenced area where individuals or teams will now be able to warm up," Babuin said.
"It will be a really good feature for us," Oreamuno added.
As for the tournament, registration will take place on Aug. 11 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., with the first games slated for 10 a.m. For more information or to volunteer at the event, contact the SSA at [email protected].
