Seven teams participated in an event that proved to be exciting and should draw a lot more interest next year.
Called the Athabasca Cup, the indoor four-on-four soccer tournament was held at the Whispering Hills Primary School gymnasium last Saturday and was organized by Jon Lemessurier as a fun way, initially, to raise funds for a charity he is involved in that assists an orphanage in Zambia, Africa.
The tournament featured a modified triple knockout format with games beginning at 10 a.m.
Each game was 20 minutes long – split into 10 minute halves with a short break in between. However, that format increased to 15 minute halves for the last two knockout games plus the final.
The all-Athabasca final featured Team Muzyka versus the Rooney Toons, who lost earlier in the tournament to Muzyka after giving up a pair of late goals.
Rooney Toons almost didn’t make the final, scoring late in the semifinal and hanging onto the 4-3 victory.
The final, which was 2-2 at the half, went back and forth the entire match, but two goals about 30 seconds apart by the Rooney Toons with just over two minutes remaining proved the difference in the 7-6 win to claim the replica World Cup trophy.
“They gave us a run for our money in a well-fought final,” said Lemessurier, who was one of the eight Rooney Toons team members.
While final amount of money raised wasn’t available, Lemessurier estimated it was slightly more than $1,000, which included the entry fees teams paid as well as donations and money raised through a concession operated during the event.
With the great support of a few volunteers and a few sponsors, Lemessurier believes the event can now become an annual event and benefit a different charity each year.
“It was amazing how many people came out to support the event. It was competitive, but lots of fun and everything ran very smoothly,” Lemessurier stated.
He added he is excited about how much was raised at the tournament and is looking forward to finding out just what the money will be used for, as he will be making a trip to Zambia this summer as part of his work with the Seeds of Hope charity.
