The 2nd annual Richmond United FC Summer Solstice Tournament has a new title sponsor, and like many of the teams in the tournament itself, it comes from outside the city of Richmond.
Sandher Fruit Packers from BC’s Okanagan region will sponsor the tournament as its first interaction with the club, which will lead to a larger involvement through the year. Other companies sponsoring the event include Joe Preswick Personal Real Estate Corporation, A & A Wong’s Insurance Services Ltd, and Boast Financial Services.
As part of its “Sandher Feeds Canada” program, the company will both financially donate to the club, but will also provide food to RUFC’s yearly “Free Kickers” program, which brings free football and food to Richmond families in need.
The food will come straight from Sandher’s apple and cherry orchards on the outskirts of Kelowna, the bounty of which can be found in supermarkets across the country under the SFP brand.
That will tie in with the annual assistance already provided to that program by its existing sponsorship with Coho Commissary/Pure Bread.
The Sandher family has worked their land since 1987, when then-18-year-old Bill Sandher arrived from India with his family. With his wife Sukhi, Bill has built that property out over the four decades since, with his children now at the wheel of a company that provides many of the fresh Ambrosia, Honeycrisp, Royal Gala, and Granny Smith apples in our kids’ lunchboxes every day.
“We know Richmond has a great farming tradition and is a diverse multicultural city where people arrive from around the world to make better lives for themselves,” says Prab Randher, Bill’s son, who heads up the family’s community outreach efforts. “We can definitely relate to that, and what we’re looking to do with our support for groups like Richmond United is to give back to a country that has given us every opportunity to thrive.”
The Sandher Fruit Packing Summer Solstice tournament will bring together close to 100 youth soccer teams from around the Pacific Northwest to Richmond BC to enjoy the summer sunshine on our football fields.
Much like the annual Sandhar Trucking RUFC Thanksgiving Tournament, which last year grew to over 250 teams and occupied every available blade of grass in the city over three days, the summer tournament will bring millions of dollars of economic activity to the city, while welcoming around 1600 families to play soccer against our own.
The tournament will take place over two days from June 21-22 with divisions from U8’s to U13s. The Executive Hotel Vancouver Airport will serve as the tournament’s accommodation provider.
More information on playing soccer in Richmond can be found at www.rufc.ca (fall registrations are now open), and Sandher Fruit Packers can be found at www.sandherfruit.com and all good local supermarkets.