WATCH: Canada Cup comes to Kelowna

• Hundreds of players and coaches coming to play
• Great for football development

The scorching Okanagan heat didn’t stop throngs of fans from across the country from cheering on Team Ontario and Team Saskatchewan.

Eight provinces (B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and New Brunswick), represented by over 300 athletes, are in Kelowna for the 2022 Football Canada Cup.

It features the best under 18 players from around the country for a national championship in male tackle football.

This year marks the first time in three years the event was able to be held.

Executive Director Shannon Donovan told Kelowna10 this event is one of the biggest in the country for the players.

“It’s good for football in the country and it gives these athletes an opportunity to be looked at by university and CJFL [Canadian Junior Football League] teams from across the country,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for the athletes and also good to have everybody back together playing tackle football.”

She added many of the players haven’t experienced an event like this because of their age and COVID-19 restrictions.

“This is their first experience playing for their provincial team and then competing against provinces from across the country so it’s pretty exciting,” Donovan said.

Team Ontario Head Coach Robert Underhill said the event provides a great developmental step for the players who want to take their football journey further.

“This is a fantastic tournament when you talk about things like development and getting the athletes towards the next level in an environment to help them become successful,” he said. “Getting them back in to working hard especially for provincial pride is a fun thing.”

He said Team Ontario started recruiting back in November. They then hosted a scrimmage, invited the 90 best football athletes from across that province, and narrowed it down to the 40 who are in Kelowna this week.

Underhill said most kids playing this week are in Grade 11 and have room to grow. He said being in a high-end competitive environment will go a long way for them.

“It puts them on the right path to understand what it’s like to play against higher competition, but it also puts them in the frame of mind to understand what to expect and what’s like going to be playing at the next level,” he said.