While one soccer season is about to close, another is on our doorstep and to say Cochrane Rangers organizers are busy is probably an understatement.

The adult soccer club is hosting their annual Cochrane Cup this weekend, Sept. 16-17, and it continues to thrive with 22 filling all soccer pitches over the weekend. That's up slightly from last year but not too cumbersome to take away the flavour and traditions of the tournament.

"One of the things we try to do is retain the relaxed atmosphere that we have. If you have too many teams everything gets so hurried that we actual we lose it," explains Oscar Pacheo, who is organizing the tournament along with Rangers president Paul Tas.

More than half the entries tend to return every year because it's enjoyable.

"They like it because of the nature of the Cochrane Cup, so you don't want to change that too much. The teams that come back do so because of it nature,." says Tas.

But there are changes, good ones.

There's 12 teams in the men's open, the most ever, and that has allowed organizers to have A, B and C finals and gives them all a chance to finish in the money.

"All teams play until the very last game for prizes. Now when they come back on the Sunday they're still in the running for the A, B or C final," says Tas.

And for the longevity of the tournament, it's a promising sign.

"They're younger, they're more competitive, fitter and that secures the future of the tournament because with more open teams next year we're looking forward to having them again or for them to move up to 035," says Pacheco.

There's also four women's teams and six O35 men's teams.

A Saturday night social has been added at the Venue Bar and Grill, where they'll be specials, live music and a chance to simply kick back.

"Besides the sports aspect of the tournament, there's also a social aspect," says Tas. "On the Saturday night all the teams are invited to come ot the Venue for the evening and share the stories of the day, drink a couple of beer and get ready for the Sunday."

With an estimated 400 players participating, the tournament has a positive economic impact on the community, especially for hotels and restaurants, they both point out.

The O35 final is at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Cochrane Rangers Field East. Starting at 3 p.m. on Sunday are the open men's A final and women's finals at the Rangers field and the 3rd and fourth place open men's teams match up at Mitford Pond.

Indoor season starts soon

If that isn't enough, the Rangers are also currently preparing for the indoor season that starts in October at the SLS Family Sports Centre.

There are three competitve women's teams and one men's team playing in the Calgary league. There's also women's recreational play on Sundays and Mondays at SLSFSC and men's rec goes Wednesday and Friday night. Typically, about 200 adults play the indoor version of the sport through the Rangers.

Soccer Quest 42 celebration

The glory, aches and pains of setting a Guinness World Record will be recalled through two events.

It's the 5th anniversary of the landmark event, spearheaded by Martin Parnell, that saw Cochrane soccer players combine to play indoor soccer 42 hours nonstop and set the world record.

It was a 5-on-5 indoor soccer game where two teams went head-to-head in a friendly match. Players were substituted in and out every 12 hours. Besides setting a record, it raised $32,000 for Right to Play.

To celebrate there's an open tournament from Oct. 12-14 at the SLSFSC that will be followed by a celebration on Oct. 16.

Soccer remains popular in the community and it's only getting better with events like this and a coordinated effort with Cochrane Minor Soccer to guarantee the sustainability of the adult leagues

"We're talking about new stuff. It's pretty exciting," says Tas. "There's a lot of stuff going on."