The Robbie was a fantastic success this year, celebrating over 42 years of top-calibre soccer, and donating $50,000.00 solely to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We welcomed several international teams this year including: B14 Tynecastle Hearts from Edinborough Scotland, B15 Lewis United from Aberdeen Scotland, B12 Trendsetter Hawks from Trinidad and Tobago, B11 HBC Titans from New York, B13 Ann Arbor Arsenal from Michigan, B16 AC Perugia Grifos from Pennsylvania, B17 Eden Prairie from Minnesota, and G18 ASG Florida from Florida. Several teams traveled from other provinces as well.

 

The 2008 Robbie was jam packed with exciting events for the participants and their families. Beginning on Friday at the Annual News Conference at the Delta Toronto East where the Tynecastle Hearts were piped in, emotional stories were told by CF patients and Jace P & the Big PPL provided entertainment for the reception. Then registration began and teams began to pour in as usual. Next door, inspirational speaker Mike MacKay coached several coaches on Team Sportsmanship and success.

 

A raging storm blew in on Saturday morning delaying many of the games, and forcing a lot of teams to take a trip to the laundry mat in between games! All in good fun, the teams were slippin’ and slidin’ through the day! Saturday night has become a night many of the parents and players look forward to; it’s the Annual Robbie Player’s Dance, hosted by Much Video Dance and the Meet n’ Greet. It’s a great opportunity for team bonding and a night for the parents to bond as well while having their kids looked after!

 

Sunday morning kicked off well, with some teams playing their final preliminary game, and some for them their final game at the Robbie, while others went on to the biggest challenges of the qualification rounds! Both Scottish teams made it to the Semi-Finals, but were defeated by top Ontario Teams.

 

Sunday night the Robbie welcomed several celebrities to Birchmount Stadium for the Julian de Guzman Celebrity Charity Game. Some of the celebrities who made an appearance included Julian de Guzman of the Canadian National Team and Deportivo de La Caruna, Spain, Jonathan de Guzman of Feyenoord Rotterdam, Holland, Paul Stalteri of the Canadian National team, and Anthony Stuart, from the Florida Panthers in the NHL. The night’s MC was none other than Gerry Dobson, and refereeing the match was Isaac Raymonds, Scarborough’s top referee. The event brought in over 1200 people to Birchmount Stadium and raised funds for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

 

Monday was Finals day, the day player’s and coaches look forward to for the entire year, and of course the committee too for the relief! Thirty-two teams entered the pitch only to have sixteen be named the 2008 Robbie Champions. All sixteen Champions were top-calibre teams from ONTARIO! Four Scarborough teams were named Robbie Finalists including the Boys U11 North Scarborough Bulldogs, Girls U13 Scarborough United Fury, Girls U14 Wexford Wolverines, and the Boys U18 Scarborough Blizzards. Congratulations to all those players, coaches and parents.

  

 2008 was a year of many remarkable donations from sources outside of the tournament. The Tynecastle Hearts had a fundraiser and donated $2100.00 to the Robbie Charity. The St.Andrews Soccer Club Alumni donated $566.07 to the Robbie Charity.

 

The Robbie would like to thank our major sponsors which include the Ontario Referees Association, the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Scarborough, all of our fantastic soccer clubs in Scarborough, and the Ajax United Soccer Club. Without the support of the hundreds of volunteers and sponsors, the Robbie would not be possible. The Scarborough soccer community is one to be proud of and is fully recognized by the Robbie committee as the strength behind the largest international charitable youth soccer tournament. Thank you!

  

On October 23^rd, 2008 The Robbie International Soccer Tournament and founder John Wimbs received the highest honour, as we were inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame. The Robbie star is found at the Food Court in the Scarborough Town Centre. Fellow inductees included superstar Deborah Cox, World renowned tenor Ben Heppner, retired NHL star Rick Middleton, Toronto Medical Officer of Health Sheela Basrur, and education leader Earl Campbell.

 

The Robbie has many incredible things in store for 2009: the renovations will be complete at Birchmount Stadium and the new fields at McCowan Park will be in use. 2009 Events include: Women in Soccer: Opportunities and Inspiration Information Session, Celebrity Charity Game, and the Annual Robbie Player’s Dance and Meet n’ Greet. We’ve had several inquiries from International teams including teams from Germany, Ireland and Scotland. So please folks, join us for the 2009 Robbie International Soccer Tournament and celebrate 43 years of top calibre soccer in your community.

 

Thanks again,

 

Yours in Soccer,

Mike Burke

Robbie Co-Chair