The Last Word:

When we started the Daily Pilot Cup with the aid of local attorney Kirk McIntosh nine years ago, nobody could have fathomed the extent to which the soccer tournament would grow.

The original tournament, a resurrection of the old Lions Cup, saw some 500 kids participate.

Each year, the tournament has grown in stature and popularity with this year’s event eclipsing all the others with 160 plus teams and about 2,300 children from nearly every school in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

We now have a Daily Pilot Cup Executive Committee, and we have major partners and sponsors, including the school district, the city of Costa Mesa, the CM900 charity group, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, the good doctors of Newport Orthopedics and Zama Sports.

We want to thank them all for their kind donations of time and money to what is truly a memorable event for the children of Newport-Mesa.

But topping the list of those to be thanked is McIntosh and his wife, Sue.

The couple, who raised five soccer-playing daughters along the way, spend hour upon hour of their time organizing the tournament, scheduling fields, coaching and refereeing.

If it weren’t for this labor of love from the McIntosh family, there would be no Pilot Cup.

The whole soccer-loving community of Newport-Mesa owes them a huge debt, and we’re here to make sure they’re never forgotten for all they do.

So thanks to the kids, the parents, the sponsors and the McIntoshes for making this Pilot Cup so successful.

Here’s hoping that next year is our greatest Cup yet.