The Blitz’s 2018 summer season ended with a bang as over 425 players, coaches, and family members attended their year end Gala.
The day began at 11h30 with lunch consisting of Subway, Pizza Pizza, and veggie platters from the local IGA. Once everyone had eaten, the awards ceremony began.
Each team’s Coach was invited on stage and given an opportunity to say a few words about the season and present their players with beautiful participation trophies.
The Coaches then presented 3 special awards to deserving players.
- Most Improved Player
- Most Consistent/Team Player
- Most Valuable Player
12 year veteran coach Joe Della Cioppa was asked if it was difficult singling out the 3 players. “Normally, it’s not. said Coach Joe. “I rely on input from my assistant Coaches and I make the final decision.” When asked if he tries to rotate the awards throughout his team, his response was clear. “No. These awards are earned. Prior years are not taken into account and there’s no rotation.”
With a total of 10 teams, and each team having an average of 15 players, there were a lot of trophies to present. To keep things interesting, door prizes were drawn throughout the event. The prizes included soccer balls, movie passes, soccer gift cards, and Montreal Impact swag. The final prize was an official Montreal Impact 25th anniversary jersey.
VP of Competition and event organizer Tony Capozzi was beaming when talking about the drawing. “We were able to purchase almost a thousand dollars worth of prizes due to the generosity of our sponsors!” said Capozzi. “You could feel the excitement in the air from the players with each draw.”
When asked about the event in general, Capozzi was generous in his praise. “Ile Bizard soccer is growing on the field. That growth spreads to every event we organize. One of the reasons that we’re growing is the strength of our volunteers”, he said. “You can’t organize a non profit event like this without help, and in Ile Bizard, our volunteers have such a positive attitude, and it’s contagious.”
To see all of the pictures, please click: https://asib.ca/en/2018-blitz-gala/
