Lions Cup soccer tourney resurrected

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Youth soccer coach Kirk McIntosh has launched a one-man

campaign to bring back a school districtwide youth soccer tournament.

The Costa Mesa resident is determined to see a return of the once-popular

Lions Cup tournament -- with a new sponsor and a new name. Now that he

has found that sponsor in the Daily Pilot, McIntosh needs volunteers for

the inaugural Daily Pilot Cup.

“We’re hoping volunteers will start to surface,” McIntosh said. “To run

the tournament, we’ll probably need about 5,000 Pilot Cup volunteers --

coaches, referees, anyone who wants to be involved.”

Historically, the age group for the tournament is students in grades

three through six.

It is a three-day event beginning the first Friday in June and running

through the weekend. The tournament is open to every school in Newport

Beach or Costa Mesa -- public or private.

“We thought this was a perfect event for the community newspaper to

sponsor,” said Pilot Publisher Tom Johnson. “It was always fun and

involved all schools in Newport-Mesa.”

The size of the tournament will depend on the number of schools that

decide to organize teams. To form a team, a school needs a volunteer to

find a coach and put up a sign-up sheet for interested students.

Many AYSO coaches remember the Lions Cup and support its return.

“It was really a good thing. It got all the kids involved and boosted the

AYSO program,” said John Roche, who coaches a Division 5 girls soccer

team in Newport Beach. “It was a lot of fun.”

The original tournament, the Lions Cup, wasn’t stopped due to lack of

interest or funding. When the event was canceled in 1998, Lions Club spokesman Mike Scheafer announced that the club’s insurance carrier had

dropped coverage for youth athletic leagues and contests.

Roche, who coached in the tournament, said it is a worthwhile cause and

requires little time.

“You’re only allowed to have four practices, so it’s not a lot of

commitment,” he said. “That’s certainly short-term.”

FYI

Anyone interested in volunteering for the Daily Pilot Cup soccer

tournament, or for more information, call Kirk McIntosh at (949)

650-2827.