Hundreds of children flocked to the soccer fields at Vermilion Provincial Park on May 27 and 28 to take part in the first tournament of the 2023 season. The event featured 44 teams from the U7, U9, and U11 age groups, bringing together about 512 athletes and their families. The atmosphere resembled a festive fair, offering a plethora of games, skill stations, prizes, concessions, Raffle fundraising and camping amenities, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
Enjoying the clear blue skies and the warm weather, the teams from Vermilion, Bonnyville, Vegreville and Sedgewick. showcased not only their soccer prowess on the field but also highlighted the town’s charm to visiting participants. Many expressed their delight in returning to this year’s tournament, enjoying the town amenities, and creating a memorable experience for all involved.
Steven Westergaard, the tournament coordinator, expressed his gratitude for the community’s exceptional support, stating, “We are incredibly grateful to all the businesses for their generous contributions. Every business we reached out to responded immediately to contribute. This remarkable response highlights the strong commitment of our community towards enhancing the well-being of our children.”
Gordon Barrett, the president of the Vermilion Soccer Association, expressed his gratitude to the community stating, “Thanks to our community for hosting such event that welcomed teams from all over the region. It was a supportive, inclusive and positive environment for all the children involved.”
The scale of the event required a significant amount of hard work and organization from a large group of volunteers. There were more than 70 volunteers covering various tasks such as administration, field maintenance, refereeing, and managing concessions, field marshals skills competitions management. These volunteers played a crucial role in making the event run smoothly and successfully, and their efforts were essential for its overall execution. Jordan Kalczak, the Volunteer Coordinator, expressed sincere gratitude to the volunteers, stating, “I must acknowledge that the contributions of our volunteers have exceeded all expectations. The success of this event would not have been possible without their dedicated efforts. I cannot emphasize enough the immense value of their hard work.”