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By Michael Reeve

TOP FLIGHT SOCCER

English Premier league sides Fulham and Aston Villa bringing U-21 squads to Kamloops

Jun 7, 2024 | 12:45 PM

KAMLOOPS — A pair of Premier League soccer clubs will be coming to Kamloops this summer to play at Hillside Stadium.

The U-21 squads from Fulham FC and Aston Villa will be in Kamloops starting this July to take on the Rivers FC men’s and women’s sides in a set of exhibition matches.

The fixtures will be the first time Premier League teams have come to the Kamloops area, and hopefully not the last as Rivers hopes to make this a common summer experience in the Tournament Capital.

“Never before have we brought two premier league clubs to Canada, let alone Kamloops,” said Rivers FC and Kamloops Youth Soccer GM Lyle Dos Santos. “We are really excited to bring this opportunity to Kamloops. I think we are going to see the highest level of the game with two globally iconic clubs. There are going to be six matches, so three matches per team, the team will be announced and their level of competition. But it will match the Premier League clubs we are bringing in.”

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Tickets for the games are not yet on sale, but Dos Santos stated they will be affordable for fans to bring the whole family out to Hillside. The team is also working with the city with regards to potentially expanding the seating capacity, to allow more fans the chance to see world class talent on the pitch.

In addition to the games, the players from England will be hosting clinics for Kamloops young athletes.

“The part that excites us the most here at Rivers FC candidly is bringing the highest level of the game to our community for our kids, and the families. We said in our stated goal to provide development opportunities for the kids in our community,” said Dos Santos. “To dream is to see, and so a lot of them have to be able to see these teams and what is possible. So we are going to continue to do this year over year. This is the first iteration, but we will continue to do this for the families and communities here in Kamloops.”

The event will take place at the Tournament Capital Centre, with Fulham competing from July 25 to Aug. 3, and Aston Villa playing from Aug. 5 to 18. Tickets for each game are priced between $15 and $30.