Soccer taking over the city

Roughly 400 Ontario soccer teams from across the province are set to travel to Oshawa over the first two weekends of May to dust off their cleats and participate in one of the first outdoor tournaments of the season hosted by the Oshawa Kicks Soccer Club.

The Frank Sobil Spring Classic has become an essential tournament for teams wanting to compete outdoors prior to their league season kick off. Annually, the tournament hosts teams ages eight to 18, with girls playing May 5 and May 6 and boys competing May 12 and 13.

“This year will be historic for the tournament. For the first time in the event’s history, we will be utilizing the Oshawa Civic Complex in its entirety thanks to the joint efforts of the city council, city staff and the Oshawa Kicks Soccer Club,” Elizabeth McCaw, executive director of Oshawa Kicks says. “It’s a really exciting step for the tournament allowing us to centralize hundreds of teams along with our host headquarters.”

Along with the Oshawa Civic Complex, over 20 fields across the city will play host to divisions and competitive at all levels.

The tournament enters its 16th year in 2018 and was named the Frank Sobil Spring Classic in honour of the Oshawa Kicks Soccer Club founder, current past-president and Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame member Frank Sobil.

Oshawa Kicks president Will Thurber says the Spring Classic is recognized for its major economic impact for both the region and city, with 20,000 athletes, along with their families and supporters, expected to attend.