Originally founded in the early 1980’s, the tournament was officially known as the ICSF Inter-Regional Tournament, or more commonly, “The Italian League”. The format during this era saw the tournament span over several weeks which commenced in the spring and culminated into a televised (Shaw Cable) final at Swangard Stadium where a Champion was named. Games were held Wednesday’s and Sunday’s at Adanac Park in Vancouver and Burnaby Heights Park in Burnaby. At its’ peak, the tournament included approximately a dozen teams representing different regions and provinces of Italy, drawing several hundred spectators weekly to watch the exciting games. “The Italian League" was the talk of the local soccer community and displayed the very best Italian and non-Italian elite soccer players from around the Lower Mainland for several years, and to this day, the fond memories live on. Unfortunately, in the mid 1990’s, the tournament ceased operating due to various challenges, but what an incredible ride it was! After a few attempts at bringing the tournament back in different formats, in 2019, a three-day 8 v 8 tournament was revived at the very same Adanac Park where it all began.
In 2019, the ICSF re-created the Coppa Italia after an almost 25-year hiatus in the form of a three-day tournament at Adanac Park one of the sites for the original tournament. Eight regions of Italy battled for the Coppa title: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Molise, Sicilia and Veneto. After three days of fierce competition and hard-fought matches, Calabria came away with the 2019 trophy! The tournament captured the long history, passion, Italian regional pride, and the love of competitive soccer in the Italian Canadian community of the Lower Mainland once again, with hundreds of spectators flocking to Adanac Park to cheer on their region.
The ICSF Conwest Coppa Italia 2024 will once again feature regional teams with a chance to knock off reigning 2023 Champion's Team Veneto and have their region engraved on the coveted ICSF Conwest Coppa Italia Cup.
Thank you to all the local businesses who continue to graciously support the tournament and helping to make ICSF Conwest Coppa Italia a great success!
More information coming soon!