Even in the years than followed the renaming of the event to the Sudbury Star Cup, local soccer folks continue to refer to the early August Sudbury men's soccer offering as the Caruso Club Tournament.
If you can't beat them, join them.
For as much as succumbing to the mindset of the masses was not likely at the very top of the list of considerations in terms of a refreshening of the brand, it likely did not hurt.
The emergence of the Coppa Caruso signals not only a renewed partnership between the title sponsor and the SRCSL (Sudbury Regional Competitive Soccer League), but also an opportunity to expand the scope of the Sudbury summer tradition.
"With the centennial celebration last year (100 years of soccer in Sudbury), we were really cognizant of the league history and the heritage and the tradition," noted SRCSL executive member and local soccer historian Cody Cacciotti.
With the SRCSL embracing tournament administration as well as securing the necessary insurance coverage, the partnership was off and running, once again, in the hopes of strengthening the notion that the Coppa Caruso weekend might also serve as a setting to celebrate all that it is to be Italian.
"It's all about growing that base (of teams) and creating that festival feel," said Cacciotti, explaining that the tournament will grow from the recent Open Men's and 35+ divisions to include men's over 45, women's open, U14 boys and a pair of youth festival divisions (U10 and U12).
"The footprint of the tournament will be much larger now," said Cacciotti. "We hope to have music and vendors, encouraging everyone to bring their family."
The Coppa Caruso - 2025 is set to take place on the weekend of August 8th to the 10th, with financial backing for the event coming not only courtesy of Societa Caruso but also via David Anselmo and the Northern Ontario Film Studio.
The Caruso Club Invitational Tournament was established in 1992 and ran under that banner through until 2012. The competition returned in 2014 after a one-year hiatus, recognized as the Sudbury Star Cup, the storied trophy traditionally doled out to the top men's soccer team in Northern Ontario.
