History

    The first thanksgiving tournament was played in November 2012 at Lost Creek Park. The earlier play included only two teams with the regular Sunday format. There were no rules, no registration, no time duration or referee. Initial games did involve some food but it was not organized or planned. One player would offer to buy meat and then it would be barbecued at the field. Players would then play for a few minutes, go eat and then resume play.

Due to the monotony of the two team format, it was suggested by Philo and others that we change the format to make it more competitive, more interesting and more challenging. It was then that the idea of 7-aside was born. The event was announced in advance and players were to register and then divide the players into random teams. That same format has been in place since the first game in 2014. In addition it was suggested that the players invite their families and friends and plan to bring more food and add activities for the women and children.

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Format

    The tournament uses a point ranking system. Each team has to play all the scheduled matches. There is no elimination or knockout. There points are awarded for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The team with the most points a t the end of the tournament wins the title. If any teams finish with the same points, their position is determined by goal difference. If two teams still have identical records, they will play an extra 20 minutes or go straight to penalties. Team captains will decide which method to use and if they do not agree the referee will determine how the game will be decided.

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Registration

    Registration usually opens in October (1 month before the tournament). The registration is free, and there is no qualification requirement but priority is given to members of the club. That means if players have to be cut from the roster, non-members shall be first before members and will be on a first come first serve basis for making the list.  Four teams of 7 are ideal to make the tournament but we can have up to 5 teams of 7 players. That means there needs to be at least 28-35 registered players. In a case where we have more than 35 players, each team will have an extra player to use as a substitute during the game. The teams can have up to two substitutes for a total of 9 players in a team. Players have an unlimited number of substitutions during the game but can only field 7 players at a time.

Once a player commits to play, he is allowed to withdraw before the registration deadline after which he is bound by the no-show rule which demands a $100 fine for not showing up to play and a suspension from the next Uhuru tournament. A minimum of 5/7 players is allowed to begin the game but he late registered player will be fined $50 and is suspended for 2 consecutive regular Uhuru games. A team with less than 5 players at the beginning of games will automatically forfeit the game and their opponent will be awarded 3 points by the referee.

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Schedule

    All games are played in one day at the same field. Games begin at 9 am and will last anywhere from 6-8 hours depending on the number of teams and if there is extra time or penalties. The event is usually done by 5 pm or 6 pm the same day. The schedule of play is determined by a random app “Team Generator”. The teams to start are determined by the app to avoid players showing up late because the have a late start. In most cases some teams will have back to back games. In that case they are allowed an extra 10 minutes of rest before the next game. Otherwise each game lasts 40 minutes with 20 minute halves and a 5 minute break at half time. There is always one team that will not play back to back games because of the nature of the schedule. The team with no back to back has won the tournament 6/6 times.

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The draw

    The draw for the players usually takes place at Lost Creek Park two weeks before the tournament to allow teams to prepare and organize themselves. The first draw was done in 2014 involving a select number of players using a paper and hat method at dusk after a Sunday game. This method stirred so much controversy after one team won all games conceding only one goal. Subsequently, each draw was determined by the random app “Team generator” ending all debates about “balancing” teams and “unfairness” during selection. The teams selected by the random app are final. There are no adjustments or changes to “balance” teams. You play the cards you re dealt. In many cases the team that comes out as “favorites” does not win the tournament. Read more about this in the giant killing article. There are new teams each year due to the app selection and previous teams do not carry over to the next tournament.

Once the teams are selected, each team is expected to come up with a team name, jersey colors and a captain. Teams are encouraged to be creative with their names and not use names that have been used before. Team members are also encouraged to use creative aliases for their jersey names to make the tournament fun and entertaining. Teams do not need to wait until game day to know who their opponents are because each team will play every team in the draw at least once. Each team will need to game plan against every other team in the draw. The order of play is determined on game day.

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Venue

    All games are played at Lost Creek Park, Sugarland which is a neutral ground as there is no home or away advantage. The preferred field is LC 11 because it has a nice shade and a perfect size. However, if that field is not available, LC 6 which is home ground for Sunday games is marked for tournament use. The dimensions are 65 x 45 feet.