For teenage soccer players, there’s nothing bigger than the Gothia Cup each summer in Sweden.
The international event attracts 1,600 U11 to U18 teams from 80 nations as far flung as Algeria to Zambia. And now, a girls’ team from Calgary is joining that elite list of competitors.
This past weekend, the Foothills ’02 Girls beat a division rival, Southwest United Premiers, to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Gothenburg, Sweden, July 17 to 23.
“This is one of the most prestigious youth tournaments in the world. I knew about it as a player and always wanted to do it as a coach,” said Jonathan (Jay) Wheeldon, the team’s coach and also skills academy manager at Foothills Soccer Club.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the girls. Even for me. I’m so excited for it. This is something they’ll remember forever.”
SKF Group, an international industrial bearings firm, is the Cup’s main sponsor and, each year, it randomly chooses 24 world cities and various age groups to hold qualifying tournaments in an initiative called Meet the World. Last year, SKF Canada hosted an event in Montreal and this year it picked Calgary for U14 girls. SKF pays for all winners to attend the weeklong tournament in Sweden.
The winning Calgary Foothills ’02 Girls and their coaches pose with representatives of SKF Canada, which is sponsoring the team to attend an international youth soccer tournament in Sweden this summer.
Wheeldon said it happened so quickly he didn’t have time to dwell on his team’s chances before the tournament began. Adding to his stress was the fact his team had to get past another Foothills team, coached by his colleague Lee Tucker, to get to the final.
“I was more confident about the final than the semi. When it’s in a club, it can be a tough one at times and the ’02 DAs were brilliant in that game…. It could have been them going.”
Wheeldon said the trip would probably cost $3,000 to $4,000 per player if they had to pay for it themselves.
“I think our whole parent group is still in shock. The opportunity for our players is unbelievable. It’s really surreal to be honest with you.”
SKF Canada marketing manager Lars Ruuth acknowledged the Meet the World initiative is costly but the company believes it’s important.
“We have 47,000 employees in 130 different countries. Our daily interaction with each other gives us a better understanding of cultures,” Ruuth said. “We think that is the key to a better world and who better to give that gift to than young people.”
In Sweden, the Calgary team will be exposed to youth from all over the world. Wheeldon played professionally in England with Torquay United before coming to Canada so he has an inkling of what the girls will face.
“It will be different culturally for them. They’re used to playing Canadian and some U.S. teams. This will be a completely different style of play — teams from Europe, Africa, South Korea. The opening ceremonies are in front of 60,000 people and these girls are going to be paraded around.”
The Gothia Cup is a logistical feat rivalling some of the biggest sporting events in the world. During the week, 4,500 games are played on 110 fields. There were 40,200 participants last year with more than 56,000 spectators taking in the opening ceremonies.
The tournament was first held in 1975, started by football associations BK Häcken, GAIS and a local newspaper. Through the years, almost a million players from 141 countries have participated in the tournament.
There is also a charitable component. The Gothia Cup has forged ties with several African nations, building schools and football facilities. It also holds another tournament for teams which are members of Special Olympics and, since 2013, works with UNICEF on children’s rights.
This is the Bravida Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden where the Gothia Cup is played.
