Odyssey of the Pitch

Members of the Prince Rupert United Soccer club and crew members
from the Seabourn Odyssey took to the pitch at CHSS on 
Tuesday for a friendly match. The third year that the two
sides have had a soccer reunion
(photo courtesy of William Gee via Twitter)

The benefit of having a cruise line make Prince Rupert a port of operations comes in many forms, for soccer players on the North Coast, it means a chance for some friendly exhibitions and friendship building.

William Gye forwarded the photo above to our Charles M Hays twitter feed yesterday, the snapshot showcasing the Prince Rupert United Sevens Club team and a similar squad from the Seabourn Odyssey.   

A welcome contribution to our social media stream and something which caught our eye and gave us cause to find out the ... rest of the story.

As Gye explains it,  the project began three years ago when the Cruise ship Manager made contact with Prince Rupert FC to see if a friendly game of footie could be organized for some of the crew members aboard the ship.

It's not just tourists who come ashore on Cruise Day.
Tuesday saw some members of the Seabourn Odyssey head 
to the CHSS Soccer pitch for a Friendly against Prince Rupert United

That introductory contact has now led to an ongoing reunion project, with Prince Rupert United reaching out to SD52 to secure the Charles Hays Field for when the vessel is in town 

The Seven V Seven event so far has been limited to one game a year, but it's a much anticipated one for the local side who look forward to take on team from afar. 

The common language of soccer serving to also make for an enjoyable stop an break in routine for the crew members.

The Prince Rupert United Facebook page also features some video action of yesterdays friendly.

More on the Cruise sector in Prince Rupert can be explored here.