An action-packed Communities Cup had a feel-good ending for Okotoks United.
The second weekend of the annual Anthem Communities Cup saw the host Okotoks United claim bronze in a competitive boys U12 Tier 3 division Sunday as the curtain was lowered on the tournament at the Cavalry FC Regional Field House in Aldersyde.
“We had a couple of keys throughout the tournament,” said Clint Dunford, Okotoks United coach and tournament director. “The biggest thing I preach with them is always bringing their best effort and their enjoyment of the game, as cliché as that is, that’s the most important thing for this group.”
Dunford said teamwork, broken down into the two elements of passing and combination play as well as communication, is also vital for success.
“That all came together as we went through the weekend and shone through in the final game,” the coach added.
Okotoks won its round-robin opener 7-3 against Airdrie FC and again bested its regional foes in the bronze medal game.
A much cagier affair played out in the third-place match, a 5-1 result for the home team.
“I told them in the changeroom as well that it looked like they were shot out of a cannon,” Dunford said. “They came out firing on all cylinders and there was a lot of excitement around the tournament for them.
“And then (Sunday) it was a bit more of a grinding one where they had to dig in and perform and Airdrie stepped up their game as well.”
Okotoks repeated the feat in the U13 Tier 4 division.
United grounded the Sherwood Park Phoenix 5-2 in the bronze medal match after the teams played to a draw in pool play.
Okotoks United took gold in the U10 7vs7 format, posting a 1-1-1 record in pool play followed by a 3-0 win over Foothills Porto in the championship.
In the U13 Tier 3 division, Okotoks just missed out on a spot on the podium.
Okotoks finished fourth in the tournament, following a nailbiting 1-0 loss in the bronze medal match to MUSC Schalke.
All told, the tournament featured 114 teams over two weekends with 23 trophies handed out.
Okotoks teams won a medal of every colour during the competition.
Twelve clubs were represented among the champions on the second weekend of the event.
“Both weekends, even with that cold (snap) we had no issues with teams not showing up,” said Dunford. “It feels like it went very smooth, we didn’t have any major issues and I’ve been very impressed. A lot of the kudos goes to (club administrator Angela Mundy) and the staff because the process is already set up and it flows and everybody knows their role.”
For more information, go to okotoksunitedsoccer.ca.
