Soccer players are descending on Estevan this weekend with teams from across the southeast in the city for the annual soccerfest. The event will see teams ranging from U9 all the way up to U17 competing on the field in Estevan.
Derek Mercer, the vice president of Estevan Youth Soccer, talks about the weekend event and what people can expect.
"So this weekend is, I think, our third annual soccer fest. It is basically a big get-together for the teams herein the southeast to end their season and get together and have a lot of fun, and a little bit of competition, but more about the fun. We're making it quite an event, we have four age categories: U9, U11, U13 and then the U15-17 age categories."
All of those age ranges have their own plans for the weekend, with Mercer saying it all ties back to bringing the community together.
"A couple of divisions operate a little differently. I believe in the younger divisions, there is a playoff; in the oldest division, it is a round-robin without a playoff, just for the fun of it. I do believe there will be a playoff in a couple of the categories, but it is more about getting communities together and engaging with each other and having some friendly competition and fun to end the season."
The weekend has 28 teams registered across their four divisions, representing six southeast communities. Mercer says they'll also have food trucks, picnic tables with shade, and even gift bags for all the players attending the event.
It's been a lot of work to put together the event, says Mercer, with him thanking all of the volunteers and board members who make it possible.
"We're excited. There's a lot of work to do We have a really active board we have Board members who have been working on this now for two weeks or more and who give up lots of time in the evenings on weekends, so there's lots to be done, but it's all going to come together. It wouldn't come together without the help of all the active board members, and we have got parents volunteering some time on the weekend also."
Soccerfest has its first games start up Sunday at 9 a.m., with a projected end time of 6 p.m.
Mercer says he's encouraged by all the growth the event's seen over the past few years, and hopes to keep it going into the future.