An image of some professional soccer players provided by Kamloops Rivers FC.
Image Credit: Kamloops Rivers FC
June 07, 2024 - 10:40 AM
Two teams from the English Premier League are coming to Canada for the first time and they’re going to be playing in Kamloops.
Fulham U21 Men and Aston Villa U21 Women are going to be playing at the Tournament Capital Centre this summer, according to a Kamloops Rivers FC press release issued today, June 7.
Fulham is playing between July 25 and Aug. 3, and Aston Villa is playing from Aug. 5 to 18. Tickets for each game range from $15 to $30.
The general manager of Rivers Football Club, Lyle Dos Santos, said it's an opportunity to bring more soccer programs and events to the city.
“Hosting these globally iconic football clubs is the first step in connecting the City of Kamloops and Rivers FC to the global stage. We are excited to share this with our community this summer and look forward to working alongside our partners to bring more first class experiences to the Tournament Capital of Canada in the future,” Dos Santos said in the release.
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While the teams are in town for the matches there are going to be community events as well, including youth soccer clinics and training sessions for local coaches.
Academy director for Fulham Football Club Sean Cullen said after his recent visit to Kamloops it’s no wonder the city has a reputation for hosting top level sports events.
“With one eye on the World Cup in two years time, we are excited about working with Rebirth Soccer, Thompson Rivers University, Rivers FC and the City of Kamloops to support the further development of football in Canada. We will be bringing a squad that recently won the Premier League Cup and I know the players and staff are excited about playing against some of the best teams from the region,” Cullen said in the release.
Aston Villa’s girls academy operations manager Josephine Cottam said she hopes the visit is going to inspire and promote women’s soccer in Kamloops.
“We are excited to be bringing along our talented Aston Villa Women's Academy U21s group to Kamloops this summer,” she said in the release. “For the development of women's football, as our country enters the qualifying rounds of the Euros as the current holders, we hope for big crowds to come along and see how exciting this young group is.”
Organizers haven't finalized which clubs will be taking on the premier league teams and say the schedule should be out next week. In the meantime, you can sign up on this web page to be the first to find out when tickets go on sale.
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