Rexburg will be filled with minivans and soccer moms this weekend as the fifth annual Yellowstone Cup begins.
The Yellowstone Cup is a "No-Sunday Play" tournament from June 7-9, 2018. Typically, youth soccer tournaments hold their championship games on Sundays. Many residents in Southeast Idaho are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who celebrate Sunday as a day of rest and worship.
Holly Allen, the tournament director, said holding their tournament a day early allows more people to participate in the championship games.
"Our club is a little different than other clubs in the state. We have a lot of people who are LDS and they don't want to play on Sunday," said Allen. "There are 'No-Sunday Play' tournaments in Utah we'll go to sometimes but as far as Idaho, there weren't any 'No-Sunday Play' tournaments so that was one of the reasons we wanted to start this and see how it goes."
The Yellowstone Cup began with 40 teams and each year the tournament grows. This year, 108 teams have registered to participate and teams travel from all over to attend.
"There are people who come from Boise who are LDS. We also have teams from Utah," said Allen. "This year for the first time we have teams from Spokane, Washington, which is probably the farthest."
With so much growth, the tournament relies on many volunteers. For more information, the tournament schedule, and to find volunteer opportunities visit their website or find them on Facebook.