The rest of the province got an up close look at how Richmond's soccer facilities are second to none.
The city host last weekend's B.C. Soccer Provincial "A" Cup finals at Hugh Boyd Park which brought together the Coastal and Interior champions for a one game playoff. The U14, U16 and winners also earned berth's to this falls BMO National Club Championships.
Coastal teams dominated, winning all six titles including the Richmond Red Hot Selects capturing the U16 girls crown with a 4-0 win over the Prince George Kodiaks.
The weekend kicked off Friday night with back-to-back Canada Day wins for Whitecaps teams against B.C. rival Victoria Highlanders in front of an enthusiastic local crowd of almost 1,300 at Minoru Park. The Women's Whitecaps hammered the Victoria Highlanders team 5-0 in a W-League Western Conference clash and this followed a 3-1 win for the Whitecaps Men's Whitecaps Residency Team also over the Victoria Highlanders FC.
The Residency team's line-up featured three homegrown players -- Declan Rodriguez, Caleb Clarke and Carlos Marquez. Clarke capped the scoring in extra time.
Kicking off the event with the Whitecaps double header was a huge success," said Stewart MacPherson, Richmond Soccer Association Director of Operations. "The fan support was equally fantastic on Saturday and Sunday at Hugh Boyd for the cup finals and we were treated to some very exciting soccer over the two-day event. Congratulations to all the teams and best of luck to those teams that are heading to the Nationals."
"We really appreciated all the hard work and effort that the Richmond Soccer Association put in to make the Championship weekend run so smoothly. The standard of play was very high with some tremendous team and individual performances, and BC Soccer will certainly have excellent representation at this October's National Club Championships," added Don Dancey, B.C. Soccer Co-Chairman Competitions Committee and BC Soccer Director.
In addition to the soccer festivities, Nintendo were present at Hugh Boyd Park on Saturday and Sunday as part of their Nintendo 3DS Summer Tour. The Nintendo 3DS truck provided attendees and members of the public the opportunity to interact with their latest titles.
The next big soccer event in Richmond is just on the horizon as the 32nd annual Nations Cup takes place July 15-17.
