The Triple Crown Colorado team claimed the Canada Cup championship at Softball City in Surrey, edging out Team Canada in a dramatic 7–5 final. Colorado built an early 5–0 lead through four innings, but Canada stormed back in the fifth, closing the gap to 6–5. With the bases loaded in the final inning, Canada came within a hit of victory before a final out ended the comeback bid. It was a reversal from last year, when Canada won the tournament undefeated. This year’s 30th edition ended in disappointment, though head coach Kaleigh Rafter said she was proud of the team’s overall showing. “Our performance through the tournament was strong, but our pitchers had a tough final game. Now our focus turns to preparing for the World Games in August,” she told Connect Newsroom. The bronze medal went to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Team Canada’s Kianna Jones received the Best Defensive Player of the Tournament award. In an exclusive chat with Connect FM, she credited her teammates for the honour. “This award belongs to the team. We’re not satisfied with our overall performance, and our goal now is to put on a stronger showing at the World Games in China.” Harpreet Dhillon, a youth softball coach, told Connect Newsroom the event inspires young athletes. “Seeing Canada compete against the best in the world right here in Surrey shows kids what’s possible in this sport.” Local fans said hosting the Canada Cup continues to bring international attention to Surrey.

The Canada Cup has begun at Softball City in Surrey. This is the 30th edition of the Canada Cup and Team Canada, fresh from its gold medal performance at the Pan-American championship in Columbia, will play two matches in Surrey. The Canadian women's team will face New Zealand at 6 p.m. today and then Ukraine at 8:30 p.m. The final match of the tournament will be played on Sunday. Apart from the Canadian team, strong teams like Czechia, Greece, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Israel, Triple Crown Colorado and Team BC are also participating in the tournament. Today, players from Team Canada were at the Softball City stadium to talk to the media in the morning, during which, in an exclusive conversation with Connect FM, team player Annabel Teperson said that the team is confident of winning today’s matches and the tournament. Regarding Team Canada's win in this tournament after remaining undefeated last year, player CC Wong said that the team's goal is to win the tournament this time as well, but the team understands the importance of each game and will move forward according to a match-by-match strategy. Both players admitted that there are many strong players/teams in the tournament and the competition will be challenging. Among the Team Canada players, Larissa Franklin was also on field to talk to media. She revealed that she underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma but has returned to the diamond. “My focus is on softball now, and I’m grateful to play in front of family, friends, and the home crowd,” said the Maple Ridge athlete. Along with the senior teams, many youth teams are also participating in this tournament, and the senior players say that they were also able to fulfill their dream of joining Team Canada by participating and performing in these same youth teams. Team Canada coach Kayleigh Rafter said the goal is to win the Canada Cup but hopes the team plays some good ball. Talking to Connect FM, Teperson and Wong said that the tournament for youth teams serves to hone good talent. Player Annabel Teperson also appealed to the people of the area to come to Softball City to enjoy the games and encourage the talented players. Meanwhile, CC Wong said that any spectators who come to watch the matches will fall in love with softball. For the full schedule, click the following link:https://canadacup.com/womens/2...

The Canada Super 60 league is set to return to Vancouver's iconic BC Place Stadium. The second season of the league has been announced. This time, the league will be played from September 29 to October 4. Organizers say that the league will once again see the combination of the game of cricket with entertainment, cultural activities and concerts. League organizer Yuvraj Singh, iconic former international cricketer, says that the first season was successful and we are happy that we are now going ahead with the second season. Yuvraj Singh with BC Premier David Eby at BC Place stadium during the first season of Canada Super 60Yuvraj Singh: "After the success of last year's inaugural season, I am truly delighted to share that Canada Super 60 is returning for Season 2. The response from fans, players, and the global cricket community was incredibly encouraging, and it was clear that the world took notice of what we are building here. This year, we are even more eager to establish Canada Super 60 as a marquee event in the global cricket calendar. It is a league that not only entertains but also creates meaningful opportunities for young cricketers, both men and women, from Canada to rub shoulders with some of the game's greats. Personally, I am very excited to be back at BC Place. It is a truly unique venue, and playing under the roof, in front of such passionate fans, makes this experience very special." BC's Minister of Tourism, Art, Culture and Sport Anne Kang during and interview with Connect media network News Director Pervez SandhuBC's Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Minister Anne Kang expressed happiness over the return of the league, saying that it is a good opportunity to host world-class players, coaches and spectators at a world-class stadium. Anne Kang: "We're delighted to welcome the Canada Super 60 League and cricket fans back to BC Place. Hosting this event is an exciting opportunity to welcome players, coaches and spectators to our world-class facilities and to showcase our beautiful province to the world. Through events such as Super 60, we will continue building B.C.'s reputation as a destination for sport as part of the Province's Look West Tourism Sector Action Plan." Brampton Blitz captain David Wiese with the trophyBC Place General Manager Chris May: "Welcoming Canada Super 60 cricket back to BC Place is incredibly meaningful to us and reflects our commitment to broadening the range of sporting events hosted at the stadium." "The return of Super 60 reinforces BC Place's growing role as a home for Canada's cricketing community and its rich, joyful culture. If last year's showcase is any indication, we can once again expect days of an electric atmosphere celebrating this global sport." Toronto Sixers captain Deandra Dottin with Connect media network News Director Pervez Sandhu after an interviewShorter Format: The league consists of 10 over matches (T-10 League) and last year Brampton Blitz won the championship in the men's competition while Toronto Sixers won the women's league. Both the teams will try to defend their titles this time too. Last year, Shikhar Dhawan, Surah Raina, Martin Guptill, Moeen Ali, and many other international cricketers were seen playing in this league. An official release said that this year, the FIFA World Cup matches are to be played at BC Place Stadium and the Canada Super 60 matches at this ground further strengthens the historical stature of this stadium as a world class multipurpose arena.

Jasmine Mander was 5 years old when he father, Dildar Mander, took her to a soccer field. That was her first introduction to soccer. At the time, Dildar Mander's daughter had no idea what kind of heights could be achieved in this game. The journey that started with his father taking her to the field, saw many achievements including her association with the Canadian women soccer team that won gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Jasmine was a staff member of that gold medal Canadian Soccer Team. But in this career full of achievements, Jasmine saw a period about two years ago, where the drone controversy happened and Jasmine had to face a ban. But players know how to get up after falling, and Jasmine did the same making a strong comeback into the game. Jasmine has joined the Irish women's national team as a performance analyst. A strong comeback Jasmine Mander, after staying away from the game due to the drone controversy for around a year, has made a strong comeback once again and has started serving as a performance analyst with the Irish national women's team. Jasmine said that she had a conversation with the Irish coach and she had shown a lot of interest in adding Jasmine to the team. Jasmine said that she understands that the Irish team has the potential to play well and joining them seemed like a good opportunity and that is why she decided to join the team. Jasmine said that she is currently moving forward with the goal of taking the Irish team to the World Cup. Jasmine says that her focus is currently on the Irish team and has not yet made a decision about what other opportunities can be explored in the future. Feeling satisfied Jasmine says that she wanted to work with high-level teams and that is what has happened. She said that her focus was not on the club level or university level at the moment, and there is still a lot of unfinished business at the high level that she is trying to complete. Jasmine's father is also a fan of the game of soccer and knows and understands the game, and Jasmine said that he is also happy with this kind of comeback. Difficult times came with a lesson Jasmine says that during difficult times she learned what issues to focus on and what the priorities should be. She said that the good thing was that even in those difficult circumstances, her love for the game did not decrease. She said that that time taught her that sometimes in professional work one can feel very lonely and your heights and achievements can be very high but any small mistake can bring you down. She said that the support of the family always helped her cope during difficult times. Jasmine says that her football career is quite long and even if she thought to step aside from football and pursue a career in physiotherapy, she never took it seriously and kept the focus on coaching. Family support Jasmine feels lucky that her family helped her cope during the ban. She said that there are two types of people, one who truly support you and stay with you at every step (high or low), and the other who is with you only during the good times. Jasmine said that many people around the world knew that this was just a phase and that this too would pass soon. She said that when the difficult period began, it seemed that everyone's attention was focused on this issue, but after some time, she understood that there was no need to be discouraged and the hesitation to talk about this problem was also gone. Advice to people going through a struggle Jasmine says that when people struggle or face a difficult time, it is important to stay positive in some way or the other. She said that she was lucky that family and friends took care of her, but everyone's situation is different and everyone needs to ensure lifting themselves in their own way. People should support soccer Jasmine says that the game needs the support of the people for its success and in the area. She said that if more people buy tickets and watch the games, it will give a boost to the players. Jasmine said that while participation is essential for the development of the sport, it is also important for the people of the area to go and watch the competitions, as this will encourage the players and also keep the financial support coming to keep the game alive. To watch the interview, click the following link:&t=954s

On Saturday, the Vancouver Whitecaps played the Vaisakhi match at the iconic BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. The team dedicated its April 4 match to Vaisakhi and for this reason, the match against the Portland Timbers was named the Vaisakhi match. Bhangra performance by Naam Bhangra, Anmol Rattan and YBC Bhangra at BC Place stadium.During the Vaisakhi celebrations, performances related to Bhangra and Punjabi music were seen during the pre-game and half-time. More than 24,400 spectators had arrived to watch this match. Bhangra performance by Naam bhangra, Anmol Rattan and UBC bhangra during the Vaisakhi match at BC Place stadium.Before the match, at around 7:15 pm, Naam Bhangra, Amol Rattan and UBC Bhangra performed Bhangra. After this, at around 8.30pm, Inderpal Moga and Channi Nattan entertained the audience with Punjabi singing at half-time. Both the performances received a great response from all sections of the audience. Channi Nattan and Inderpal Moga perform during the Vaisakhi match at BC Place stadium.These Punjabi performances were organized by Connect Media Network. Arshdeep Singh from Connect Media network seen engaging with match audience before the game.Connect Media Network had also set-up photo booth at the Terry Fox plaza where audience got entertained through various activities including music and photo opportunities. Vancouver Whitecaps team did not disappoint the audience in the Vaisakhi match, as they won 3-2 in a close match against the Portland Timbers. Whitecaps' had taken a 1-0 lead in front of the home crowd thanks to Ocampo's goal in the 6th minute. However, the Timbers equalized in the 36th minute and then scored in stoppage time after the completion of the regular time of the first half to take a 2-1 lead. Despite creating continuous chances, the Vancouver Whitecaps team could not score a goal in the regular time of the second half, but the team got a penalty in the stoppage time, which was converted into a goal by captain Thomas Muller. Vancouver Whitecaps team on attack during the Vaisakhi match against Portland Timbers.The Whitecaps team continued to attack in the final moments of the match, and this paid off as Sebastian Berhalter scored a goal to give the Whitecaps' a 3-2 victory. With this, the Vancouver Whitecaps team has now won 5 out of 6 matches in the league. The team had won 4-1 against the Timbers in the match held on March 7 this season. The Punjabi live broadcast of all the home matches of the Vancouver Whitecaps can be heard on Connect 91.5FM.

Last Saturday, on International Mother Language Day, Punjabi (speaking and understanding) audience for the first time, got to hear commentary of a Major League Soccer match in Punjabi. Connect 91.5 FM aired the Vancouver Whitecaps game live in Punjabi. In addition to the game, there was a pre-game show and a post-game show. On this historic occasion, the commentary was handled by Connect FM's News Director Parvez Sandhu, and young commentators Jagraj Lali and Shubham Arora. This Punjabi commentary partnership between Connect FM and the Whitecaps was not limited to a single match, but rather this partnership is for the entire season and Connect FM will broadcast all 17 of the Whitecaps' home matches live. The Whitecaps won 1-0 in Saturday's match. The Whitecaps' next home match will be played on Saturday, February 28. The commentary of the match in Punjabi will be available on Connect FM from 6 pm onwards. CBC reporter Poornima Francis in conversation with Connect FM News Director Pervez SandhuIn last Saturday's match, other media also covered the Punjabi commentary of Connect FM and reported about it. The following links can be clicked to watch it: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada... https://www.tiktok.com/@cbcbri...