The Ontario Soccer Association is proud to announce a new tournament designation that is meant to bring the soccer and soccer charity communities closer together. 

The OSA has now approved a Selected Charity Tournament / Festival status. A Selected Charity Tournament / Festival is an event hosted in Ontario by the OSA, District Association, affiliated club, affiliated league or an OSA-Recognized Non-Club Academy (ORNCA) for any age male and/or female teams. 

The first Selected Charity Tournament / Festival to be approved of this new status is the Robbie Tournament, one of longest running soccer charity events in Canada. 

The Robbie has donated over $1.6 million to Cystic Fibrosis Canada over the years. The money raised has gone to CF research, treatment, education and a search for a cure. The Robbie Tournament was inducted in the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame last years as an Organization of Distinction.

"We are thrilled with this new designation as a Selected Charity Tournament. It's an affirmation that the original objectives to promote soccer and to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis Canada are still as valid today as they were 49 years ago when the first Robbie was held with eight teams," Robbie Event Chair Mike Ellis said. "Since then over 200,000 players have participated from Canada, the U.S and almost 30 foreign countries... With this new status The Robbie is now open to even more participants through the ORNCA group."

The objective with this new Selected Charity Tournament status is to provide an opportunity for charitable tournaments and festivals to have both affiliated Club and ORNCA teams participate in the event, as well as to provide these Club and ORNCA teams the opportunity to be part of a charitable experience.

"It's an opportunity too to reach out to our youth participants and show them that they can make a difference in their communities without ever knowing precisely who they've helped. There is a "me" to "we" transition that is an essential ingredient for strong communities and society," Ellis said. 

If your organization or event are interested in obtaining a Selected Charity Tournament status, you are encouraged to apply.