Community & Business
9 October, 2024
Cup celebrates much more than football
OLD rivalries, generational traditions, and a celebration of the Italian migrant community will all play out at the second Fantin Cup football match to be held in Dimbulah next month.
The Cup was first run last year and hatched between the Dimbulah and Mareeba football communities. It drew about 450-500 spectators, ending with quite a party.
“The concept is to reflect on and pay tribute to a generation of battlers,” Mareeba local Sandro Soncin said.
It was borne out of the Italian Festival, he said, which mostly focuses on Mareeba and Cairns. The Fantin Cup was a way of “bringing in” the Dimbulah Italian community.
The Cup is named after Bruno Fantin, a man who “dedicated his whole life” to the Dimbulah Football Club and was president for many years.
“Bruno represents those battlers,”
Sandro said.
“The early European migrants, many of whom were Italian, not only built the club but built their family and community around it. You have to realise – Dimbulah was nuts about football.”
The club, built in the mid-1950s, was also highly successful, twice winning the Crad Evans Cup – the longest-running cup in Queensland.
Mareeba, it has to be noted, won the cup before Dimbulah.
“Which brings us to rivalry,” Sandro said with a smile.
“Oh yes, they are fierce, fierce rivals.
“It’s hard core.”
Matches will be played on 2 November at Bruno Park in Dimbulah, with the first match at 5pm featuring the under 45s, the second match between the “little ones”, and the main game for the over 45s at 7pm.
“That’s when we turn on the lights,” Sandro said.
“There’s been no night games at the field for about five years.”
“There’s something very special about going to see the game under lights,” Sandro said.
“It’s a bit ghostly actually.”
To add to that sense of the past, many of the players in next month’s Cup Day have family who played in the heyday senior teams.
The day will be family friendly, with food and drinks provided, and evening entertainment by Dimbulah singer Shandell Hilditch.
“The party starts when she starts, basically,” Sandro concluded.
• Next week: Generations take to the field
