Derek Yachison has played football for his province before, but never for his continent.

The 19-year-old receiver from Transcona will be doing just that later this month when he joins Team North America for a 10-day tour to Panama, which will include three games against international competition.

Yachison, a 2011 graduate of Murdoch MacKay Collegiate, was offered a starting job with the Kamloops Broncos junior team last fall. He sent in some game film to Team Canada Football, a company that operates international tours, and heard back that he had made the cut for the tour of Panama.

"I always wanted to play for Canada," Yachison said. "I never knew if the opportunity would come, but I kept working and I finally got it. I was excited to have the privilege to be on the team."

But that excitement was quickly tempered when he realized that the trip wasn’t going to be free.

"Then I realized I had to work to get the sponsorship money together to have it happen," he said.

With strong support from the Transcona and North Kildonan businesses community, Yachison is well on his way to the $2,000 he’ll need. But the clock is ticking, as he leaves for a two-day training camp in Toronto on May 19 before continuing to Panama City on May 21.

"It’s coming along," he said. "Pretty much everyone I’ve approached has given me something or told me about someone who would help."

Many of Yachison’s benefactors have been people with ties to the Transcona Nationals, the club he started his career with, and the Murdoch MacKay program.

"They can relate to me," he said. "Maybe some of them didn’t get the chance to do what I’m able to do, so they want to help out in any way possible."

Ron Bresch, Yachison’s coach with the Clansmen, said he isn’t surprised to see the receiver’s success, largely because of his work ethic.

"He’s a hard-working guy," Bresch said. "He’s come a long way, and he’s pretty proud of his craft. He loves his football, loves the position he’s playing, and he’s pretty much a beast in the weight room."

Having an alumnus going places like Yachison is only a positive for the relatively-young Clansmen program, Bresch said.

"What I’m happy with from Derek is he’s coming back," Bresch said. "He’s helping us coach spring practices. I get goose bumps thinking about that."

Yachison will be on a team with 22 Canadians who play CIS or junior football and 22 Americans who play in the NCAA or at junior colleges.

He’s expecting his experience playing for Team Manitoba in the 2009 and 2010 Canada Cups to come in handy when it comes time to memorize a new playbook and play three games in the span of a week.

"I played against the best guys in Canada, and a lot of them will be on this team," Yachison said. "I’m used to playing at a high calibre, and the way the tournament is set up everything happens so fast."

To contribute to the cost of Yachison’s trip, email him at dyachison@hotmail.com.

avi.saper@canstarnews.com