FOOTVALL, or soccer as it’s known Down Under, is the game of choice for many people living in Melbourne’s west.
The universal game provides ground on which new relationships grow. The annual Brimbank Cup tournament aims to build bonds between formal and informal soccer clubs around the city.
This year’s cup, to be decided at Keilor Park Soccer Club on February 9-10, will be the second such event. It grew out of an African Nations tournament in 2011.
The competition is supported by Brimbank Council in partnership with Victoria Police and Football Federation Victoria (FFV).
Council chairman John Watson described the two-day challenge as “a magnificent multicultural event” and said more than 15 cultural groups would be represented this year.
“Thirty-one teams have entered — 24 men’s and seven women’s teams,” he said. “Melbourne Heart players will also be at the festival to cheer on the teams and two exhibition matches are planned. It’s inspiring to see sport unite our multicultural community and exciting to see the coming together of such diverse cultures.”
The 2013 cup will be played over two days from 10am-5pm.
Highlights will include entertainment from the police Code One band and exhibition matches between a police team and World XI, and a celebrity side against an FFV team.
Embona taskforce’s Sergeant Matthew Illingworth said the tournament was a great way of improving communication between police and Brimbank’s diverse communities.
More details: 9249 4811 or email KateG@brimbank.vic.gov.au
