Okotoks United continues to up the ante in its annual indoor soccer event.
The eighth iteration of the Okotoks United Anthem Communities Cup drew record registrations on the boys side with a total of 114 teams competing for 23 trophies over the next two weekends at the Cavalry FC Regional Field House in Aldersyde.
“It’s two-fold,” said Clint Dunford, development academy manager and tournament director at Okotoks United, on the importance of the event. “In terms of being able to put resources back into our club for the coming years and then just establishing that brand and that loyalty and showing them they can keep coming back and they can keep getting a consistent product from us.”
Dunford, new to his position at Okotoks United, said the foundation the staff have built the tournament upon has made the process of putting it together that much more concrete.
“The job the staff out here have already done building these tournaments has been quite good so the interest level among teams around Alberta, in Calgary and surrounding area, it’s already fairly established,” he said.
“I was expecting it to be something where we would need to really pull teams in and invite teams and that just hasn’t been the case at all. There’s been a lot of interest.”
So much so that registrations for the two-weekend event were full over a month from kick-off.
“And I think it’s more than the brand name, it’s the product the staff have been able to put together over the past eight years,” Dunford said. “People know what they’re getting when come to an Okotoks tournament, they know it’s going to be well-organized, they know that communication is going to be consistent and quick…They’ve definitely built that reputation over the years.”
The tournament continues to adjust to the realities of which formats of indoor soccer, be it boarded, futsal and 7v7 boardless, are being played in the province and more regionally.
One of four fields at the field house is designated for futsal with Dunford stating approximately 80 per cent of registrants are in the 7v7 boardless format.
The first weekend of action will feature 53 girls teams along with a couple of High Country league games on the boys side that will trickle into the first half of the tournament.
Okotoks will field five girls teams during the opening weekend, Jan. 12-14, along with 12 boys squads during the second weekend, Jan. 19-21.
Dunford said it’s an all hands on deck approach that allows the club to pull off these events from its staff to its dedicated volunteers.
For more information on the event, go to okotoksunitedsoccer.ca.
