STEVE BONNETT MEMORIAL YOUTH SOCCER TOURNAMENT (MISSION)

Premier Soccer Experiences was pleased to have been asked by the Mission Soccer Club to organize the re-introduction of an end-of-season soccer tournament in their community last year (2007). The last time a soccer tournament was held in Mission was over 6 years ago.

The tournament was named the "Steve Bonnett Memorial Youth Soccer Tournament" after the former president of the Club, who died in 2005 after a long illness. A tireless worker, and dedicated soccer volunteer, Steve was a highly respected soccer administrator and coach whose influence on the development and maturation of the soccer program in Mission was substantial.

At one time, the Mission tournament was a staple in the annual BC soccer calendar—an event that many teams looked forward taking part in. Unfortunately, the event died when it started to take its toll on the volunteers who helped run it year after year.

The 2008 tournament is being held on the weekend of March 28, 29 and 30 on various fields in and around the District of Mission, about a 40-minute drive from Vancouver.

The 2nd Annual Steve Bonnett Memorial Youth Soccer Tournament will be open to boys and girls teams in the U-11 up to U-18 divisions (Boys Gold, Silver, Bronze & House; Girls Gold, Silver A & B).

The format will follow that already established by PSE through previous events—a four-game guarantee with games being played on two out of the three days the tournament. Games consist of 2 x 30-minute halves in all age groups. The U-11 and U-12 divisions will be a 8-a-side competition.

The entry fee is $350.00 per team (including GST). The event is sanctioned by the BC Soccer Association.

Ideally situated, Mission lies only a 15-minute drive north of the US border, and approximately 70 kilometers east of the City of Vancouver. Having a unique heritage, it is the site of Canada's first train robbery, B.C.'s first rail link to the United States, one of the earliest Hydroelectric dams and Fraser River bridges and is home to the oldest known First Nations' archeological site in British Columbia.

Click here for final standings in the 2008 Steve Bonnett Memorial Youth Soccer Tournament.