The Robbie

 The Robbie 

World’s Largest Charitable Youth Soccer Tournament

The Robbie is the ONLY charitable festival/tournament sanctioned by Ontario Soccer

Congratulations to the Robbie International Soccer Tournament which is the 2019 recipient of The Organization of Distinction award from Canada Soccer. This award  is well deserved for this tournament. 

The Robbie, as we know it, has been in operation for 54 consecutive years, managed by volunteers over these years, an achievement of this kind is simply unheard of.

Also noteworthy is the fact that referees from across Ontario, have donated their services free of charge to the Robbie for 54 years. The Robbie supports Cystic Fibrosis, which is a Canadian charity. Referees believes in this very worthy cause and donation of their time is their way of giving back to their community.

On behalf of the Robbie committee, it is my sincere pleasure to express thanks and gratitude to referees past and present, who have participated in the Robbie for the past 54 years and hope that referees will continue to participate going forward for this worthy cause

Respectfully
Leslie Wong
Robbie Referee-in-Chief
November 26, 2019 

The Robbie International Soccer Tournament was inducted into Canada Soccer Hall of Fame by the Ontario Soccer Association in November 2014

The Robbie International Soccer Tournament was founded in 1967. Since then the Robbie has donated over $1.5 million dollars to  Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Muscular Dystrophy. 

In 1967, a group of soccer enthusiasts met in John Wimbs’ living room to organize a small soccer tournament for boys. From above, they heard three year old Robbie Wimbs receiving treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. CF is an incurable disease that in 1967 took most of its victims before the age of five. There and then the organizers decided to dedicate their tournament, not just to soccer, but to fighting the disease. The Robbie was born.

Since 1967, youth teams have been coming to Toronto to play soccer and, through entry fees and various activities, raise money for children who suffer from CF. The introduction of the Girls’ division several years later prompted organizers to recognize another cause – Muscular Dystrophy. As of 2008, the Robbie has dedicated it’s attention solely to Cystic Fibrosis Canada, in memory of Robbie Wimbs. 

The Ontario Soccer Referees Association has supported the Robbie since 1967. Referees from across Ontario have been donating their services continusly over the years. The main pool of referees comes from Scarborough followed with strong support from Durham, York Region, Toronto and North York

 Thanks to the Robbie, Referees Associations and other organizations, CFC victims are living longer and with greater hope. Robbie Wimbs survived until he was 33. He lives on in the tournament he inspired.