Local Players Shine in Great Britain

THE U-12 & U-13 TULIS BOYS RETURNED TO CANADA WITH TWO FIRST PLACE WINS, ONE SECOND PLACE WIN, AND A CONTINUED REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE PLAYING SOCCER OVERSEAS

Two Tulis teams, the 1991 & 1992 boys, returned in August to Canada from St. Andrew’s, Scotland, and Aberystwyth, Wales with two first place wins, one second place win, and a continued reputation for excellence playing soccer overseas.

The St. Andrews International Football Festival took place on the grounds of St. Andrews University in Scotland from July 18th – 23, 2004. The tournament drew select teams from around the world as well as select local squads, including Scottish Premier League Dundee United’s youth development team.

The Tulis 1991 team won second place in their division, losing a hard fought final match against Dundee United 3-1. “It was good to be able to make it into the final, especially against a club like Dundee,” said Michael Ainge, who was the 1991 team manager. “They bring their children in from a very young age and keep them in the organization until they’re professional age.” The 1992’s went on to take their division trophy with a 2-1 win over a physically tough Hutchinson Vale team in the final. The Hutchinson Vale team, who had just recently captured the 1st place title for their age group in the Scottish Cup Tournament, had met with the Tulis team in the first round of play and had also come away on the short end of a very hard fought 2-1 game. “They were a fantastic team,” says Tulis. “This was a huge victory for my ’92 boys!”

In exhibition play, the 1992 team played an exciting game against the Dundee United squad and held them to an incredible nil-nil draw, and the 1991’s beat Dundee United 1-0. The 1992 squad also met up with Dundee FC and came away with a 2-0 victory.

The boys then travelled to the west coast of Wales to participate in the very well known Wales International Soccer / Ian Rush Trophy Tournament where back in 1998 Tulis’ U-16 and U-13 boys came away with 1st Place trophies and a Tournament MVP award, U-16 Best Goal-Scorer Award, and the U-13 MVP Award. This year’s tournament brought showcase teams from North America, Fiji, Scotland, Wales, England, Norway and Australia.

The boys then travelled to the west coast of Wales to participate in the very well known Wales International Soccer / Ian Rush Trophy Tournament where back in 1998 Tulis’ U-16 and U-13 boys came away with 1st Place trophies and a Tournament MVP award, U-16 Best Goal-Scorer Award, and the U-13 MVP Award. This year’s tournament brought showcase teams from North America, Fiji, Scotland, Wales, England, Norway and Australia.

Between them, the two teams played a total of 30 games in 12 days with an overall record of 20 wins, 6 losses, and 4 ties. “These kids all play for different leagues around the (Lower Mainland), but having lived together for two weeks, they gelled quite well,” said Ainge.

“The competition was very intense and it was nice to see the Canadian teams go over there, handle themselves, and beat the top teams out there.” Ainge goes on to say that, “(The boys) really came up a level playing against these teams.

They had to play under pressure with not a lot of time to think – they all really came up a notch! It was beneficial for them to play over there. It helps them grow not just as players, but also as people, and they get to interact with each other at a very high level.”