1st Annual COPA Sapporeño

Special Exhibition Game - Guerreros De Relámpago Vs Japanese Adult Team

Welcome To The Beginning of A Beautiful Soccer Friendship

The People Of Hokkaido Opened The Door To Friendship With The People of Intibuca

In June of 2006, The Hokkaido Football Club reached out to the people of Honduras by donating used soccer balls to be used by Honduran Youth in the Liga Menor de Fútbol Intibucana.  Because of this wonderful gesture the people of Honduras, especially the people of La Esperanza, Intibuca are reaching out to the people of Sapporo, home city of the Hokkaido Football Club.

See more photos of this visit.

We Want To Celebrate This Budding Friendship With A Friendly Soccer Tournament

 Soccer Teams From Every Part of Japan, every State In The USA, Canada,  Korea, And Taiwan Are Invited To Bring Your Team To Honduras. Play Soccer Against Central American Teams and Plant Trees With Honduran Youth!

An international friendship soccer tournament to be called the COPA Sapporeño is being organized that will invite teams from countries with positive relationships with Japan. Teams are organized that will invite teams from countries with positive relationships with Japan. Teams are invited from Japan, Korea, Taiwan as well as teams from Mexico, the United States, Canada, Brasil and South Africa. The tournament will include friendly competition as well as many cross cultural activities such as baile folklorico, mountain ranchero music as well as a two day tour through Intibuca ending at an overnight stay at the Mayan ruins of Copan.

Teams Invited From:

The first Japan-Honduras Friendship Tournament, the   COPA Sapporeño, an International Youth Soccer Tournament will take place from the 17th to the 26st of June 2007, in La Esperanza, Intibuca, Honduras. The first game will be played on Friday, June 22, 2007.

This competition is being organized by the Liga Menor de Futbol Intibucana, under the auspices of the Comite Ejecutivo Regional Centro Oriente de FENAFUTH. The competition is being developed by the Asociacion Intibucana de Comunicacion, a Honduran  organization.  Honduras has close to a hundred international players who are now earning a living playing in Europe and Latin America.

The tournament will be for boys and girls, in these groups

Under 12

Under 14

Under 15

Under 17

Each team will play one game each day, except for Thursday, June 28th, which has been reserved for the Fun Games Blowout – a free day of picnicking, volleyball, sack races, potato races, dunk the player, fun and frolicking!

The final game will be played on Saturday morning, June 30, 2006 with the awards and awards banquet Saturday Night.

A number of other social activities will be on offered before and/or after games, so there will be no "dull" moments during the week.

The Finals will be played at the La Esperanza City Stadium in La Esperanza, Honduras.

Friendly International Soccer Tournament - June 2007

No one can deny the effect of Soccer in Honduran culture. Honduras and Hondurans love the game above all else.  Children play soccer with balled up socks in the streets. And at one time, Honduran national teams played so well in in international tournaments, they were placed 27th in World soccer nations, above nations with far higher populations and more resources.  Great coaches, great players that no one deny.  Honduras soccer and Honduran soccer players have put Honduras on the map.

In recent years, Honduras has not been able to reach its highest potential, due to the loss of resources after Hurricane Mitch destroyed 40% of the Honduran economy.  Gone is the Honduran National women's soccer team.  And cross country play for Honduran youth is often not available.  But it is rebuilding its youth programs and developing new women's programs.  

That's because Honduras is such a soccer nation, with just about every child playing, Honduras is on the verge of returning to its former glory.  We at ISAI are determined to support the grassroots programs being developed by FENAFUTH in rural communities to discover new soccer talent. 

Our goal is to support organized youth and women's soccer in Honduras. Dr. Carol Cross, founder and director of AIC,  has accepted the volunteer Director of Development for the Liga Menor de Fútbol Intibucana, an affiliate of FENAFUTH. Intibuca is the home of the Lenca Indians, who walk miles up and down mountainsides that are 6000-7000 in altitude.  They are in condition since they often walk to town (5 -10 miles) up and down these steep hills.   And we plan to stimulate the return of Honduran soccer to the world stage by our International Summer Soccer camps scheduled to open in June, 2007, in La Esperanza, Honduras).

The Liga Menor is operated by a group of dedicated coaches.  Two elite teams, called Club Deportivo Intibucana are being developed from the best players in the Liga.  These two teams are determined to win this tournament and keep the trophy in Intibuca.

The state of Intibuca, Honduras is a warm, safe, exciting place to visit with lots of activities for teenagers and adults to enjoy.

We hope to see you in Ju