Royals host historic rumble against Pirates Windsor Park Collegiate’s first football team sets foot on gridiron for inaugural game By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 5:32 PM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2025

In the days and hours leading up to kickoff, head coach Brett Delisle-Boughen harped on one message to his players: what they were doing was unprecedented at Windsor Park Collegiate.

The Royals’ black and purple outfits were already synonymous with several sports across Winnipeg’s high school landscape, but had never been seen on a football field until Tuesday. Indeed, it was a momentous moment when Windsor Park’s junior varsity nines (nine-a-side) team took the gridiron for the first time in school history.

While the Royals were not competitive in their contest against the Grant Park Pirates, many players, coaches and parents celebrated a day that was victorious beyond the standings.

“It was an incredible night,” said Delisle-Boughen. “We just have such a very supportive community here. There’s a great football community in this neighbourhood. The school staff is incredibly involved. So, it was a great kickoff to it.

“The boys kind of became battle-tested yesterday.”

The demand for a football program had been growing for few years at Windsor Park.

The surrounding neighbourhood has a rich history of amateur football, yet the options for players were few once they reached high school. Dakota Collegiate, an English-speaking school, is the only institution with a football program in the Louis Riel School Division.

“We are pretty protective of French immersion here,” said Delisle-Boughen, “and so kids would have to choose, ‘Do I want a French diploma or do I want to play football?’ So there are a lot of athletes who would leave the potential to graduate with a French immersion diploma to play, frankly, maybe six months of football.”

Delisle-Boughen quickly became the choice to lead the program to daylight.

A former linebacker with the University of Manitoba Bisons, he spent six years helping turn Dakota’s varsity program into a perennial powerhouse and the last decade teaching in the Louis Riel School Division.

In May, principal Robbie Mager texted Delisle-Boughen about the wheels finally being in motion for a team at Windsor Park, and Mager believed the former Bison was his guy.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “Like we’re really growing the sport. We’re offering it to kids who have never had the chance to play, and maybe played a little bit of flag, but now they’re putting on pads and putting on their SpeedFlex helmets, and they’re getting a taste for the contact and really learning it.”

The process of getting a team approved has made for a chaotic off-season. The Royals had one day of spring camp, which went through the most basic fundamentals of football, then opened training camp on Aug. 18 with just 18 players. The team has since grown to 25, but only four had stepped on a football field before Tuesday.

“It was amazing being out there, having that jersey on,” said Zach Krahn, a team captain and defensive back who had one interception and a forced fumble.

Krahn, who is in Grade 9, played three seasons with the St. Vital Mustangs of the Manitoba Minor Football Association and wasn’t sure where he would suit up to begin his high school career.

“I was really excited, because I didn’t think I was going to get to play high school football. But when I heard that they’re getting a team, I was super excited about that,” he said. “I feel like the atmosphere, the teams and the players are more advanced in high school football. More of an audience.”

The addition of Windsor Park brings the WHSFL up to 46 teams made up across 31 schools. Notably, the junior varsity nine division has continued to grow, now comprising 12 teams — an increase of seven since 2023.

The WHSFL has made a concerted effort to grow nine-a-side, as it has already been successful at fostering more opportunities, especially for players who attend smaller schools, and has proven to be a reliable path for developing young talent across the country.

While Windsor Park finds its footing on the gridiron, there is already a succession plan in place to create a 12-on-12 varsity program by next season. Based on the school’s population — about 650 students — the Royals can be expected to play in the AAA conference.

“Without a doubt, our plan is to evolve into a 12-on-12 varsity program next year. Now, how that looks is yet to be determined, but we don’t want our kids who are in Grade 10 to play one year of high school football and then to no longer have that offered,” Delisle-Boughen said.

“The other side to that is we have students here who play community football, who are in Grade 11, who will next year be offered the chance to play varsity football as a senior. That’s kind of how we’re going to be able to make this thing happen in 12-on-12 varsity, is by getting kids who have football experience, but maybe not (from) within the WHSFL, can join up next year.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam