Kelowna will host the 25th Football Canada Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Players under 18 years old will showcase their skills at the national tournament, which will be held at Kelowna’s Apple Bowl July 9-17, 2022. Players and coaches will be housed by UBC Okanagan.
“The Canada Cup is our premier national championship with the best of the class who is moving to the post-secondary level,” said Jim Mullin, President, Football Canada. “In my opinion, there are few better places to be in July than the Okanagan. Pairing a summer in Kelowna with our 25th edition of the Canada Cup is a fantastic way to relaunch our national and international events.”
The Cup is hosted by a different Canadian city and has not been held in B.C. for several years. COVID-19 scuttled the event for both 2020 and 2021, but at long last, football is back. The last event was held in Ontario where team Saskatchewan was crowned the top team.
Saskatchewan will be the top seed heading into the tournament, followed by Quebec and Alberta. British Columbia will be the sixth-placed team due to a tough 1-2 turnout in 2019. The other teams will be from Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
“This will be an outstanding showcase of talent around the country,” said Canada Cup chair Jay Christensen. “I’ve had the opportunity to help coach Team B.C. in the past and I know this is a first-class event. It gives those players entering their Grade 12 year a platform to show potential post-secondary schools and junior football programs their talents and skillset. A championship like this will also have a major impact on our local economy.”
Each team at the Canada Cup is guaranteed three games with the medal matches scheduled for Sunday, July 17, 2022.
Several scouts from Canadian and American post-secondary institutions along with junior football programs will be in attendance, hoping to recruit the best players to their programs the following year.
Tournament passes, single-game tickets and other details will be released in the early part of 2022.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism? Make a donation here.
