The 32nd annual Holiday Cup soccer tournament will start Wednesday at the Dimond Park Field House, with multiple daily games, culminating with championship contests for six divisions on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
“This free and fun tournament has players from age eight all the way up to our oldest players usually pushing 70,” tournament director Stacy Diouf said. “It is a wide range of ages, generations and ability levels out there playing soccer, and they are really fun games to come and watch.”
Thirty-one teams (each with 12-13 players), from six divisions and over 380 players will be playing a combined total of 99 games. Diouf noted three players who have participated in every Holiday Cup: Alex Newton, Pat Race and Cam Mitchell.
“I think it speaks to the longevity of soccer,” Diouf said. “And how it is a game that youth can play and you can play all the way up aging into your older years. Soccer has had a presence in the community for so long. Lots of players have been in the tournament since middle school and they are still playing as adults in the Holiday Cup.”
The tournament was first held in 1991, organized by Paul Dillon and his law partner Tom Findley. Early action was at local gyms before the field house was built.
According to Diouf, “His kids were going stir crazy one Christmas over holiday break when there wasn’t a lot of snow so they found something for them and other kids to do and the tradition just stuck.”
Makenna Paddleford designed this winning artwork for the 2024 Holiday Cup. (Photo courtesy Holiday Cup)
In 2011, RE/MAX of Juneau owner Marty McKeown took over the tournament and has sponsored it since then. As a gift to the community for the holidays, it is free. Adult players pay a $5 player fee, which goes to adult referees. High school players ref the youth matches.
This year, McKeown has teamed with Vintage Food Truck Park and Tingey Orthodontics. Juneau Soccer Blu also donated $2,000 to the tournament.
“It has meant a lot to me over the years, and it has changed,” McKeown said. “I used to just be a player and then I got the opportunity to sponsor it and I was lucky I was in a financial situation where I could take it over from Dillon and Findley…It has meant a lot of things to me. It is a great time of year to get the whole community together in a sports setting, but we are also all watching our kids and our friends and a lot of us are playing.”
McKeown said he started playing in the Holiday Cup 25 years ago and has coached his daughters Maddie and Katie in the tournament, has played against relatives, in-laws “and outlaws. I just love having the chance to give back to the community financially and supporting this big, free tournament. There is not another like it in the country.”
The holiday-themed teams are creative in their festive names.
“I think The Wet Bandits is pretty creative,” Diouf said. “They are the bandits from the ‘Home Alone’ movie. That’s a new team this year, and I thought that was pretty creative.”
The Elementary School Division (players must be at least 9 years old) features Jolly Jugglers, Frosty Futbolers, Coal Tenders, Nutmeggers, Stocking Squad and Icekickles.
Middle School Division (grades 6,7 and 8) teams are Elves FC, Snowflake United, Tinsel Toes, Big Beard Ballers, Reindeer Rangers, Santa’s Strikers and Real Frosty.
High School Division (grades 9-12) teams are Jingle Ballers, North Pole United, Misletoe Mavericks, Holiday Hunters and Festive Footballers.
Senior Division (out of high school thru age 21) teams are Iced Out, Grinch Gang and Snowball Snipers.
Masters Division (age 22-35) are Eggnog and Nutmegs, Slay Bells, Hot Cocoa, Out of Bounds and Honeybadgers Strike Back.
The Classic Division (age 35 and up) are The Wet Bandits, Chilkat Bandits, Nat King Goal, The Nutcrackers and Santa’s Slayers.
McKeown still hits the turf with The Nutcrackers.
“We never do all that great but we keep showing up and we have a lot of fans so it’s pretty rowdy when we score. We bring a life-size Nutcracker that has a cookie tin filled with rock-sized nuts that makes a helluva racket when we score. We did make it to the semifinals one year.”
The 2024 Holiday Cup winning sweatshirt design was won by elementary school student Makenna Paddleford. This is the rendering by graphic artist Anna Hoke of Paddleford’s design. (Photo courtesy Holiday Cup)
Each year a sweatshirt design contest is held through November by the Holiday Cup Soccer Tournament Committee in conjunction with the Juneau Soccer Club. The winning artist’s work is professionally rendered by graphic designer Anna Hoke and displayed on that tournament’s Holiday Cup sweatshirts, the proceeds of which go to support the Juneau-Douglas High School:Yadaa.at Kalé girls’ soccer team. Sweatshirts can be preordered at https://holidaycup.org.
This year’s sweatshirt design winner is elementary student Makenna Paddleford.
Wednesday’s first tournament games begin at 6 p.m. with Chilkat Bandits vs. Santa’s Slayers and 7 p.m. with Nutcrackers vs. The Wet Bandits, both games are in the Classic Division. Following is an 8 p.m. match between Masters teams Slay Bells and Honeybadgers Strike Back.
Complete schedules are online.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
