Another big soccer weekend for valley
The Flathead Valley hosted 72 youth soccer teams last weekend with the National Championship Series Montana State Cup in Kalispell and Whitefish.
Now comes the big one.
The annual Three Blind Refs tournament hits Kalispell today with 102 teams playing about 186 games at Kidsport Complex through Sunday.
Tournament co-director Rob Riley said about 1,400 young athletes are expected from all over the state, as well as Idaho, Washington and Canada.
The tournament began 13 years ago with 15 teams. This year about 15 teams are expected from the Flathead Valley alone.
"This is a fun tournament directed more at the younger players - U-11s, U-12s, U-13s - to get them some extra games and to play teams that they don't normally play during the season so they have some different competition," Riley said.
Divisions range from U-10 through U-16 for girls and U-10 through U-15 for boys, but 61 teams are either U-11 or U-12.
And while the state cup was for levels U-13 and older with champions advancing to the Far West Regionals in Las Vegas, Riley said many Montana teams treat this weekend as an unofficial state tournament to cap their seasons.
Three Blind Refs is sanctioned by the Montana Youth Soccer Association, but its results affect nothing beyond the tournament itself.
About 20 teams that competed last weekend are returning, including the state champion Missoula Strikers U-15 boys and Electric City Thunderbolts U-13 boys.
According to Riley, the tournament originally was designed only for U-11 through U-14 teams, but gradually expanded to include U-15 and U-16.
Its regional attraction also has expanded as teams from Salt Lake City and Seattle inquired about entering this year.
Riley said the Flathead Force teams usually fare well at Three Blind Refs, as do squads from Sandpoint, Idaho.
U-11 and U-12 teams are guaranteed at least four games while all other clubs will play at least three.
Games will be held on 13 fields today and 14 fields Sunday, just five days after the state cup wrapped up at Kidsport.
"We didn't get a real downpour, and the grass out in the middle did real well," Riley said of the state cup, which was primarily played at Kidsport.
Kidsport fields have been repainted and some have been rotated and reconfigured to prevent injuries in potential problem areas.
The tournament's name playfully reinforces the idea that athletic officials suffer from poor vision, but the referees will be hard to miss. They will be wearing neon green T-shirts, complete with comical, self-deprecating logos.
Action begins at 9 this morning, with today's last games starting at 7:30 p.m. Sunday's play begins at 8 a.m. with final matches ending about 6:15 p.m.
Admission is free both days and concession booths will be open.