Hundreds of field lacrosse players will be invading Maple Ridge over the weekend for the 2021 Burrards West Coast Shootout Youth Field Lacrosse Tournament.
Participating will be 31 teams from across the province including teams from: Kamloops, Nanaimo, Delta, Surrey, Langley, Mission, Chilliwack, Coquitlam & Burnaby, and Port Coquitlam.
About 524 athletes between 10- and 18-years-old will be taking part in the tournament hosted by the Ridge Meadows Minor Lacrosse Association and running from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3.
More than 60 games are going to be played at Telosky Stadium and across the street at the field behind the Arthur Peake Centre.
This is the first time the annual tournament has been held in two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has generated a lot of excitement, said tournament coordinator Jill Krop.
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Opening ceremonies are set to take place at 5:30 p.m. with Ridge Meadows Minor Lacrosse Association president Tyson Craiggs speaking briefly followed by words and song from Chief Grace George from Katzie First Nation and her husband.
Three games will be starting off the tournament at 6 p.m. with the U-11 Tier 1 Burrards taking on Langley, the Langley Thunder will be taking on the Mission Mud Dawgs in a U-11 Tier 2 game, and Chilliwack will be playing Surrey in a U-13 Tier 2 game.
Athletes will also be able to take part in a skills competition.
Medal games will take place from 9:30-4:15 p.m. on Sunday.
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