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This year, games will be held at 24 fields over two days in 14 divisions. (JOHN MAHONEY/Gazette file photo)
Lakeshore Soccerfest set to kick off with 125 teams
24 fields, two days, 14 divisions
John Meagher
The Gazette
Thursday, August 7, 2008
This year, games will be held at 24 fields over two days in 14 divisions. (JOHN MAHONEY/Gazette file photo)
What began 29 years ago as a tournament for recreational soccer players has evolved into one of the biggest events of its kind in Quebec.
More than 125 teams are entered in this year’s Lakeshore Soccerfest, a two-day event set for the weekend of Aug. 16-17.
Games will be held at 24 fields, with champions crowned in 14 divisions on Sunday.
While the Lakeshore Soccer Club boasts a whopping 52 intercity teams, the most of any club in the Lac St. Louis region, the club has always prided itself on its structured house-league program, where players are encouraged to develop at their own level.
The club fields approximately 260 house-league teams from its territories of Beaconsfield, Baie d’Urfé, Kirkland, Ste. Anne de Bellevue and Senneville. This year Lakeshore added an under-4 level that introduced 200 new players to the sport.
While Lakeshore has established a sound developmental model under technical director Phillip dos Santos, the club also makes its specialized goalkeeper and player clinics available to house-league players on a weekly basis.
The Soccerfest Tournament, featuring house-league all-star teams, is a highlight of the season for many local players, said tournament president Kelly-Anne Soutter.
“This is something for recreational players to aim for: To make the Soccerfest team,” she said.
Some 36 local entries will feature the top house-league players hand-picked by Lakeshore coaches.
Because Lakeshore does not keep competitive standings for its house-league levels below U-17, the Soccerfest offers these players a rare taste of tournament competition, Soutter said.
“When they took the standings out, there was nothing (competitive) for the house-league players,” she said.
“There was no real way to grade the teams. So this is a bit of a carrot for them.”
In keeping with tradition, all teams in the U-8 and U-9 division will be presented with participation medals. Championship trophies are awarded at the U-10 level and above.
Adult recreational players have not been forgotten, either.
There are two under-99 divisions for senior men and women.
Soutter, the Lakeshore club manager, will play for one of the local U-99 entries – when she isn’t busy presiding over the tourney.
The BeaconHill Park Chalet in Beaconsfield will serve as tournament headquarters.
For more information, visit the Lakeshore website at www.lakeshoresoccer.ca