Football for the ages

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This article was published 15/04/2019 (2679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Fort Garry institution is continuing to build up youth, one down at a time.

The Fort Garry Lions Football Club is gearing up to start its 62nd season, and in a time when families have backed away from the game for fear of concussions, the Lions are expecting to fill rosters with athletes as young as four and as old as 22.

Janice Anderson, vice-president for the Lions board, said the club offers a program that prepares athletes to safely participate in the sport, by starting first with appropriate gear, certified coaches and instructors, and graduated skill development.

From the First Down program (a non-contact skills program for kids four to seven-years-old) to its newly announced Manitoba Major Junior Football League team, the Lions have established a reputation of quality football instruction in the community.

“We have a lot of families who return year after year, and we also find that more often than not, when we have a new family that comes to the club, it’s because they know someone who’s already there.

“It’s really nice to see that our families in the community know who we are and what we do, and they feel good about telling people to come and play.”

Anderson said the Lions have been trying to increase awareness of its club over the past few years and is encouraging families or players interested in the game to get in touch.

“We would love to see more kids playing football in the community, whether it’s with Fort Garry or somewhere else in the community, we’d love to see the sport grow,” Anderson said.

In the 2019 season, which runs from early August to November, the Lions will host teams in the Manitoba Minor Football Association (for kids eight to 15), the First Down program, and the MMJFL.

“It’s been a few years since Fort Garry has had a majors team,” Anderson said. “It was an alumni player who initiated it. We had some players who graduated out of the high school program that aren’t going to be playing in university programs who reached out to us.”

Anderson said most athletes between 16 and 17 opt to play for their high school team. Female players are also encouraged to join.

For the Lions club, football is less about competition and more about citizenry and teamwork, said Richard Holden.

Holden, a past president of the Lions, said some of the same values the club was founded on in 1957 — community pride and supporting the game — remain today.

“My goal, and I think that of other people during my time there, was very much to build citizens,” Holden said. “We use football as a means to take young people and help them grow up; to become responsible members of society by modelling social values through football practise.”

Holden said the club works to bring all interested players into its ranks and remove barriers to participation.  

“We’ve welcomed many kids who were new to Canada, whose families were new to Canada, they just come in and they become football players,” he said. “That’s building citizenship in this country.”

The Fort Garry Lions are hosting a kick off weekend on May 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the club house (1377 Clarence Ave.). It’s an opportunity for new and returning players and families to meet teammates and coaches. Registration is open and for more information go to www.fortgarrylions.ca