Closure of Nomads field massive upset for north end

The North Winnipeg Nomads have a flag on the field.

The long-standing minor football club was recently informed that its field is unfit to host games and that it would need to find a new home for its five youth and adult teams until repairs are made to the playing surface.

“Our board has made every effort to address the condition of our home field,” the club wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, following a professional assessment, the field has been determined to be unsafe and unstable for our athletes.”

All five of the club’s teams will play their 2026 season at Frank Whyte Field, part of the Northwood Community Centre, with no confirmed date for when they can play on their home field again.

“There is a huge amount of disappointment, especially after we put some work into the field this year, and unfortunately the results aren’t what we wanted or what we hope for,” Nomads president Rodney Sankar told the Free Press.

“So the disappointment and not being able to play there is huge, especially with the kids and the families.”

Sankar said the club has known the field needed repairs for some time, which led to some patchwork recently. New sod was installed in the middle of the field this summer, but the new turf didn’t adhere properly to the existing soil and grass, creating an uneven surface.

“There is a huge amount of disappointment, especially after we put some work into the field this year.”

“(The assessor) came out and he noticed there are some high spots and some low spots, also some separations between the sod and whatnot, which in turn could be ankle twisters, which can lead to bigger injuries,” said Sankar, who hopes the Nomads can return to their home field in 2027.

“Obviously it caught us off guard because we were hoping for great results.”

It’s a situation that not only affects the Nomads, but also high school programs that use the facility. Daniel McIntyre and St. John’s varsity teams regularly play home games at Nomads Field, while Sisler — which does not have lights for its field — typically uses the facility late in the regular season.

It remains unclear where those programs will play the remainder of their season in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

Brent Johnson, whose son plays for the Sisler Spartans, said he didn’t notice the field condition when Sisler played their final regular-season home game last year, but that he did notice something else that only added to the disappointment felt when he heard the news.

“We cannot do this alone. We need our community.”

“I did take note of the fact that this is a really active club in a part of the city that needs more places like this — not less — because these are youth that face more barriers and more challenges than anywhere else. And yet, it’s more difficult to keep these things going, it seems like, in this part of the city, too,” Johnson said.

“Nomads is a bunch of parents and community members who are all volunteers who all have at least one, if not more, full-time jobs, and they’re just trying to provide this place for youth so that their kids and their community members have a place to go and do something better than be in a gang, and to give them some purpose and belonging and confidence.

“Once again, it’s the inner-city, it’s the north end, that seems to get the short end of the stick,” he added.

The Nomads opened a Zeffy page to accept donations for a new field. A link to the page can be found on the club’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

“We are doing everything we can to keep our programs running and ensure our players continue to have a place to play,” the club stated. “But we cannot do this alone. We need our community.

“We are asking our families, alumni, local businesses, community partners, and supporters to stand with the Nomads, whether through a donation, sponsorship, fundraising, volunteering, sharing our message, or advocating alongside us; every contribution can make a meaningful difference.”

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