STOUGHTON - Stoughton was an extremely busy place on May 25 and 26, when 47 soccer teams from southern Saskatchewan came rolling into the small town for the fun soccer tournament put on by the Stoughton Soccer Club.
The tournament had no charge for the teams to participate. Sixty-eight games were scheduled over the weekend.
This event is a huge undertaking and begins months in advance, when letters are sent out to area businesses, asking for their support for the event.
With there being no charge to enter the tournament, there are expenses that are incurred such as all the referees.
The Stoughton Soccer Board takes immense pride in their soccer clubs and keeps their fields in top shape.
Several weeks before the tournament, schedules are posted for volunteer help for the sale of the 50/50 tickets, checking on the porta potties and any other tasks needed.
Friday night before the tournament, six soccer fields were set up with nets, lines and more, which takes another army of volunteers.
On Saturday morning by 9 a.m., the parking area was filled, side streets had few available spots and there were 600 players and more than 1,000 spectators.
Each soccer field was lined with lawn chairs, as parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends had come out to support their teams.
If a person was hungry, there was plenty to choose from with five food trucks in attendance. Charlies Chuckwagon, Buzz’s Spiral Spuds, Get in My Belly, Sagu Bubble Tea and Perras Boys Concession kept lines moving quickly and people enjoyed the variety of foods offered.
“It was great having the food trucks and seeing two referees pre-game,” said Christie Hislop, coach for the Carlyle U7-B team. “This tournament has a great setup."
It was the first time for Amanda Cancade to attend. She is the president of the Kipling Soccer Club, and she said the tournament was amazing and was well organized. She plans to attend next year.
Saturday was filled with games that stayed close to the scheduled time. The weather stayed sunny with a light wind, which was pleasing to most spectators as there was a fear of some rain in the forecast.
Sunday started with a few showers in the morning, although it did not cause a delay in the games, and they went off without a hitch.
Jason Giles and his wife Sarah came from Langenburg. Sarah is the manager of the younger soccer teams in Langenburg, which is approximately 2 1/2 hours from Stoughton and close to the Manitoba border.
Jennifer Marsh from Redvers said, “It is great when a team does not have enough players, and players from other teams pitch in to play, so no one is left out. It is a great community feeling.”
Giles said although there was a little rain, it was not enough to cause issues, and he was incredibly pleased with the way the tournament went and how it was set up.
Sarah Villamar from Carlyle is a parent, and she thought the tournament was a great community event, which allowed kids to socialize and have a fun time. She said they all get to play together and have fun, which is what this event was all about.
At around 4 p.m. Sunday, the skies opened up once more and this is when a thunderstorm began. The U13s almost got through their last game, but the Stoughton versus Estevan U18 game could not be played due to lightning.
When lightning is seen, all games must be delayed and not started again until 30 minutes after the most recent bolt.
After each game was played, an MVP medal was given to a player from each team.
Stoughton Soccer Club president Erin Clarke said it was a fantastic weekend, and it looks like everyone enjoyed themselves.
“I had a tremendous amount of help from our board and coaches this year,” said Clark. “Throughout the weekend parents got involved selling 50/50 tickets and bathroom checks."
The 50/50 ticket worth $2,000 was won by Stephanie Haywahe from Ocean Man First Nation.
Clark wants to give a big shout out to the referees, because without them none of this is possible.
“It was a fantastic weekend with great growth for soccer in the southeast,” said Clark.
