BC Place to host hundreds of children for KidsPlay Super Soccer Tournament
May 24th, 2019
BC Place is proud to host the 7th annual KidsPlay Foundation Super Soccer Tournament on Monday, May 27th. The event provides youth an opportunity to play on the same field as their sporting heroes from the Vancouver Whitecaps and BC Lions.
KidsPlay Foundation is a non-profit organization that organizes sports tournaments, conferences and other projects to keep youth away from the lifestyle of drugs, gangs, and violence. The Super Soccer Tournament is the organization’s flagship event, spearheaded by Kal Dosanjh, a long-time VPD officer.
He spent 14 years as a beat cop on the Downtown Eastside, which led to the creation of KidsPlay Foundation.
"I noticed a steady stream of youth entering the open air drug market. These youth would be apprehended, charged, convicted and spewed out on the other end of the Criminal Justice System to re-engage in a perpetual cycle of violence as more hardened criminals."
"Many of these youth came from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and were never afforded the opportunity to engage in positive constructive outlets, thereby leaving them more susceptible to entering a lifestyle of drugs, gangs, and crime."
Since 2015, over 60,000 youth have been through KidsPlay sports, education and mentorship programs, free of cost, supported by more than 500 KidsPlay volunteers.