Expect to see hundreds of young soccer players in brightly-coloured jerseys running around Ladysmith’s soccer fields and throughout town next month.
The Mid-Isle Soccer Club is hosting the Mini World Cup May 12 and 13, and soccer coach Mike Rankin expects about 1,000 players and their families to attend the tournament.
Speaking to council last month, Rankin said Campbell River hosted the Mini World Cup last year, and there were 80 teams.
The Mini World Cup is an annual soccer tournament for U8-U11 players throughout B.C. Each team represents a specific country, and countries are organized into geographic regions, with all players from each region wearing the same colour jersey. All age groups are in each region.
“We’ll have older Mid-Isle Soccer Club players as referees and acting as goodwill ambassadors for the weekend,” said Rankin.
The two-day event will be held at Forrest Field, the Frank Jameson Community Centre, Ladysmith Intermediate School and Ladysmith Secondary School.
In addition to the actual games, the Mini World Cup will feature an opening ceremonies with a parade of nations, food and other vendors at game venues, and a Fun Zone, which will include fun games for the whole family, such as a shooting accuracy game, a dribbling speed area and a hardest shot area.
“We’re hoping to get a fun weekend for the whole family, to get people spending their time and money in Ladysmith,” said Rankin.
There will be a world cup spaghetti dinner May 12 at the Eagles Hall, and the Eagles will also host a pancake breakfast May 13.
Keep up to date on the Mini World Cup at www.midislesoccer.com.