They came home to a hero's welcome a large banner with red letters reading 'Welcome Home Wiibroe Cup Champs' and a clapping, cheering crowd in the arrivals section of the airport.

Yukon's U-18 soccer team did what no Yukon soccer team had done before. They won a European soccer cup.

The team arrived home just after noon yesterday, triumphantly carrying their trophy.

After two weeks in Denmark the young champions made their way out from customs and greeted their welcomers with big smiles and happy stories.

'It was great great, lots of fun, we met lots of new people,' said forward Andrew MacPhail, 17.

'The first game was pretty nerve racking but when we found our form the rest went a lot better.'

Besides their form the team also found a female Swedish soccer team, said Nick Mauro, the 16 year old goal keeper that held down the oppositions goals.

'The Swedish girls, they just had a fun team to be around. They cheered us on and we cheered them on .They are definitely, by far, the most energetic girls I have ever seen. They were definitely not hard to be nice to.'

Mauro was also struck by the diversity of people at the international tournament and how soccer brought everyone together.

'Everyone was there to play soccer and have fun.'

He said that unlike a hockey tournament he went to before, at this soccer tournament there was no shoulder pads or need for ice to keep players from bouncing a ball at any hour of the day.

'No matter what time of day it was, people were playing,' he said. Informal soccer games took place at neighbourhood soccer 'rinks' and teams formed from mix of available players.

Mauro, who calls himself 'extremely patriotic,' went out of his way to be kind and welcoming to other teams players, acting as an unofficial ambassador for Canadian goodwill.

'We walked through the halls and there'd be Canada' cheers erupting from the halls,' said Mauro, recounting the tremendous support the Yukon team received from other teams and spectators.

Rick Clements, whose son Eli Clements, 17, plays defence, said he was proud of his son's performance, especially since the Yukon team only let in three goals during the whole tournament.

'That's impressive a super accomplishment,' said Clements.

Brian Gillen, president of the Yukon Soccer Association calls the win 'a ringing endorsement of the things we're trying to do with soccer in the Yukon.'

And despite their international prestige, none of these kids have shoe sponsors and cereal endorsements to cover their expenses.

Shari Borgford, whose son Nick Locke is on the team said most of the money came from the kids.

'Basically they put the team together and paid for it themselves,' she said.

Those expenses included $1,300 for flight and food. The team saved some money by staying in schools and hostels in Denmark.

Many of the teams players were also on the gold winning Arctic Winter Games, said Borgford.