Paradise SunSplash tournament grows to include Labrador

By Mark Squibb

While eyes around the globe will be watching Paris this weekend, many eyes here at home will be watching the soccer fields of Paradise and Mount Pearl as some 2,000 soccer players, aged 10 to 13 and representing 157 teams from across the province, compete in the Paradise Soccer Club’s (PSC) 2024 SunSplash Tournament.

PSC chairperson Lori Kennedy said that once you add in team managers, coaches, and families, about 7,500 people are expected to attend the annual tournament, which has grown considerably over the years.

Teams are coming from as far as Corner Brook, Stephenville, Springdale, Grand Falls, Gander, Clarenville, the Burin Peninsula, and for the first time, Labrador.

“It truly is a provincial tournament,” said Kennedy. “It is not just a metro tournament. It’s growing to the point that people plan their holidays around this event, so that their kids can play this tournament.”

The tourney kicked off Thursday and culminates in a number of gold medal games on Sunday. All told, over 350 games will be played across the four days, and 56 teams will receive either bronze, silver, or gold medals.

As in years past, games will be played at both the Diane Whalen Soccer Complex and the Peter Barry Duff field in Paradise, as well as the Smallwood field and Central field in Mount Pearl.

Kennedy said without the cooperation of the Mount Pearl Soccer Association, the Paradise club would have had to cancel the tournament due to a lack of field space.

The tournament is organised and run by a 12-person committee, along with 31 staff members and countless community volunteers.,
“I can’t even put into words the number of hours spent preparing in these final months,” said Kennedy, who noted everything from schedules to field times and much in between has to be planned well ahead of time.

The games will be refereed by over 60 young officials who will be supported by a number of senior referees, who will score the young referees’ performance and give them tips for improving, as in years past.

“We have some of the highest-level referees in the province coming to our tournament and mentoring the young refs that we have refereeing every game, because without refs, you can’t have a tournament,” said Kennedy.