Soccer in the heart of St. Laurent.

The idea's roots lie in the build-up for the FIFA u20 World Cup, which will see a number of matches contested in Montreal's Olympic Stadium, from June 30th to July 15th. From that fertile terrain, the St. Laurent police could see a seed planted for a number of soccer-related activities.

Like most self-respecting sporting events, it has a goal. Station 6's particular goal in this case was to break down barriers to Grade 5 and 6 students in the borough, through a soccer tournament featuring mixed teams of seven students and four officers, or through an art contest, wherein students could submit soccer-related art for judging.

The tournament, which began in April and wrapped up Wednesday, saw 680 students from five schools take part in spirited, friendly competition.

A large percentage of participants also received some goodies: free soccer registrations, u20 World Cup tickets, summer-camp certificates and equipment.

"Our goal is to get through to kids in schools in targeted areas and to let them know they can trust us," said Station 6 community-relations officer – and tournament co-ordinator Maya Alieh, who, along with Const. Yaël Roby, organized the whole thing. "They get to discover a love of teamwork and physical activity. We try and pick kids for the program that don't get to play outside during a school day."

But how was soccer chosen as the sport of unity?

"It's a sport that's accessible to almost everyone and isn't expensive to play. For more-artistically-inclined kids, we organized an art contest," Alieh said.

The creators of the five winning art projects will be invited to recreate their winning designs on Station 6's Wall of Fame.

As the last line of defence, sixth-grader Briyana was turning everyone back – and loving it. "They should hold this tournament every year," she said, smiling.

On the sidelines St. Laurent Soccer Association president was playing professional scout.

"I came to all the matches," said Juan Antonio Nerio. "We're very involved in the organization of this tournament. Soccer is a sport that helps kids get discipline they might otherwise be lacking and will come in very handy in their adult lives," he said.

Jean-Grou, Cedar Crest, Henri-Beaulieu, Parkdale, et Enfant-Soleil elementary schools all took part in the tournament, allowing those students to discover that soccer is an excellent way to get them onto life's playing fields, rather than remaining permanently on the sidelines.