U13 Spurs take bronze at provincials
By Janet Kanters Times Editor
Photo Courtesy of
Strathmore Spurs U13
In the Servus Youth Tier IV City Provincial Championships, 46 teams representing seven districts from across the province vied for the top spot in their division between July 19-21.
According to team coach Ryan Parkins, the provincial tournament, hosted by the Alberta Soccer Association, represents a huge contingency of teams regionally. The Spurs were playing in the category that included eight teams within Tier IV.
“We played four games in total, winning three out of those four,” said Parkins. “The only game we lost was to the eventual winners of the provincials overall.”
The Spurs finished second in Group C. The first of each group played for gold and silver, while the second finishers in each group played for bronze.
“We played North Wind (Lacoursiere) for the bronze,” said Parkins. “It was a hard-fought battle, but we ended up winning that final game 4-3. It was very back and forth – at one point, they were 3-2.”
Parkins is proud of the team’s effort this year, especially given the ages of some of the players.
“We had a very young team going in. Our players are as young as eight years old playing in the U13 division. It’s quite the feat for them,” he noted. “We have a good mix of age and a good mix of skills in terms of playing.”
The Spurs U13 team was also the only mixed team in their competition. Although they are technically slotted in the boy’s league, it’s allowed to have girls on the team “because we don’t have enough female players to field an all-girl team.
“We have a couple of young ladies on our team who did a really great job representing young ladies in sport,” said Parkins.
“All in all, the team really came together over the season and certainly proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with. So, we’re really proud of them for working together.”