BILLINGS — More than 100 youth soccer teams from across Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota gathered at Amend Park this weekend for the second annual Scheels 406 Cup, highlighting the deeper goal of making competitive soccer more accessible to every child.
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At the center of the action was 15-year-old Clayton Smith, returning with his team, Real 2010 Gold, to defend their championship title.
“It's just what I fell in love with. It's my passion. It brings me happiness. I just love to be on the ball," said Clayton. “Looking forward to playing again. Probably, hopefully going to win.”
He was not alone. Young athletes like Haddie Kincaid, her sister Anya, and their friend Everlee Hunter also looked forward to the competition.
“We're going to have some fun, play with our team, and win,” said Haddie.
The kids were several of more than 1,000 young athletes and 110 teams who participated in this year’s tournament, which has grown in size since its debut last year.
Beyond wins and losses, the goal was bigger than the final score. Co-organized with the help of tournament director Dom Duchesneau, the cup has become a celebration of youth soccer and community.
“This weekend's a celebration of the game of soccer," said Richard Duffy, Real Billings’ Director of Coaching, tournament director, and head women’s soccer coach at Rocky Mountain College. "Obviously the games are important, the results are important to the kids, but what we want players and parents to do is leave this facility saying they had the best tournament environment they could possibly get."
The tournament also hopes to make soccer more inclusive, a mission that is personal for Martin Smith, Clayton’s father and founder of Real Billings, the local club behind the event. Smith, a lifelong soccer player and coach, saw firsthand how rising costs were pricing many families out of the sport.
“That year, the cost went up to about $1,200 a season to play soccer," said Smith. “I coached a lot of players that didn't have a lot of money and it came to a point where the price was just going up, and it wasn't just here, it was nationally."
Real Billings launched in 2017 with just 215 players and a registration fee of $250, a fraction of the cost of other competitive clubs. Today, the club has grown to over 580 players, ages 7 to 18, and the price remains under $325 per season.
"We are the lowest cost competitive club I believe in Montana," said Smith. “It's just exploding, and you're seeing a higher quality soccer being played in Montana."
Smith built the club on three important pillars: flexibility, competitiveness, and affordability.
“I've always approached it that we're not just developing soccer players, we're developing people. And so if we put a barrier entry of cost on that, then we can't get everyone here and learn those lessons,” said Smith.
Seven years later, that philosophy has made them one of the largest competitive clubs in the state. Its teams now travel across the country, with one team even qualifying for the national tournament last year.
“We're not only developing players on the field, but it's important for us to develop these players off the field so they'll be successful in whatever they choose to do as they move on," said Duffy. “The sky's the limit for those opportunities, and we want kids, win or lose, just to leave here and just have a good time and just love the game."
With support from nearly 30 sponsors and more than 100 volunteers, the 406 Cup has become a major community event. The winning teams’ names are even engraved on a trophy displayed at the Scheels' Billings location.
“We love to get back to our community and for the kids, and so being out here and seeing all of the kids playing and having fun is super important to us,” said Leslie Jockems, community relations for Scheels. "There's 28 other community partners that have came together to make this possible, so if it wasn't for those other 28 organizations, we would not be here today.”
For many young players like Everlee Hunter, the passion for soccer is already taking root.
“I'm in a lot of sports right now, but my favorite right now is probably soccer, and I don't know why. I just like kicking the ball around and just scoring goals and spending time with my team," said Hunter.
"And having fun," added Anya. “You get to make new friends while you're playing."
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon and youth soccer being one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, organizers believe the best is yet to come for both the 406 Cup and the Real Billings community. For Martin Smith, the true success is in the moments shared on the field.
“This is why I do this. This isn't my real job. I'm not paid for this, except with the smiles and the high fives and watching kids just have a blast. That's really the reward here," said Smith. "It feels great. It feels like you're leaving a legacy. You're doing something that's bigger than you and introducing soccer to a whole new group of people.”
