The Soccer Carnival, organized jointly by SCOPP, the Eastern Governor and the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Eastern Province proved to be a resounding success, attracting large crowds. The event served as a boost to the game of soccer and young sportsmen of the area.

The Soccer Carnival was made possible following the liberation of the East by the government, ridding the area of terrorists. All this while, the soccer fans seldom had a chance to see games featuring teams from various parts of the country. The programme organized by SCOPP proved to be a rare opportunity; for these fans to witness the game being played virtually on their doorsteps.  Large crowds thronged the McHeyzer Stadium in Trincomalee. SCOPP was able to put together a team featuring players from the Wanni, Mannar and the Jaffna district.

This Soccer Carnival was organized by the Social Affairs Section of SCOPP as part of the Peace Secretariat’s initiative to promote peace through sports.

In the Soccer Carnival staged at the McHezyer Stadium in Trincomalee on 05th  April 2008, a Colombo Combined Multi Ethnic School team and an Army Team from Colombo that had played in the FA cup tournament participated. A combined schools team, a youth team and the Trincomalee Football League team participated from Trincomalee. The northern region was represented by a team drawn from the Wanni,Mannar,Vavuniya and Jaffna districts. The players were drawn to the carnival mainly due to their interest in the game despite the various constraints posed by the conflict situation.

The tournament commenced at 1.30 p.m.

The first match was played between the Trincomalee and Colombo teams.  The Trincomalee team played a sustained game despite the fact that the Colombo team had in their ranks members of the under 19 national squad.  The Trincomalee team beat the Colombo team 2- 1 goals.