The Martlet

The VISL (Vancouver Island Soccer League) hosts its annual All-Star Weekend on Saturday, January 7 at Hampton Park. The event, in its seventh year, allows the top soccer players on the Island to showcase their skills and compete for Island soccer supremacy.

“The first All-Star Weekend was actually just two teams made up of Division 1 players,” says League President Vince Greco. “We now have six different teams representing [six] different groups.”

The weekend consists of three games: Masters (over-35) all-stars against the Division 3 all-stars at 11 a.m.; Division 4 all-stars against the under-21 all-stars at 1 p.m.; and two mixed teams of Division 1 and 2 all-stars at 3 p.m.

The weekend rewards players who’ve had successful seasons and offers them opportunities to play with players they would normally compete against with their club teams.

“To be picked to play in the all-star game was a good feeling to know that people thought of you as a good player,” says former six-time all-star Kevin James. “The best part of the weekend for me was getting to know some guys that you had rivalries with throughout the regular season.”

James, who has retired from the league after 19 years with the Bays United, Vantreights and Cowichan Valley soccer clubs, has exchanged his cleats for a clipboard and will be coaching the Division 1 Red All-Stars this year. After partaking in so many games as a player, James is eager to take in the event from a different perspective.

“It’s a whole new ball game,” James says when asked of his coaching duties. “As a player you’re under the microscope because you’re playing with so many talented players. However, I find it actually a little more stressful on the sidelines just because as a coach you are not able to get what you want done. You have to wait for halftime to have your chat with the boys.”

The VISL has always looked for opportunities to give back to its community and will continue to do so at the all-star festivities. The League will sell 50/50 tickets during the games and all proceeds go to the MS Kick For The Cure foundation — an organization founded by James and his wife Darcie with the purpose of raising money to combat multiple sclerosis.

“I was very fortunate that the league contacted me,” says James. “They decided it was a good fit to join with somebody who’s played in the league for so many years and to help out the charity event that I run. The VISL was our first sponsor and has been our first donator for every year it has been going.”

In addition to the All-Star Weekend, the Kick For The Cure fundraiser, a 10-hour long marathon soccer game, will be held June 9 at Hampton Park.

“The best thing about Kick For The Cure is it’s a fun day and people who have never played soccer can come out. We had a 66-year-old lady playing one year and a 14-year-old boy playing another, so it’s all sorts of people and a good day of soccer.”

To learn more, visit www.mskickforthecure.com.