Cantafio’s lasting legacy
Waverley soccer complex named after lifelong volunteer
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This article was published 06/06/2016 (3622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A centrepiece of Winnipeg’s soccer community will soon bear the name of one of its creators.
The Winnipeg Soccer Complex (900 Waverley St.) will officially be renamed after Winnipeg’s ‘father of modern soccer’ Ralph Cantafio on June 12.
“As it gets closer I feel more overwhelmed, of course,” Cantafio said. “The feeling is intriguing.”
After the closure of Alexander Park, a popular soccer complex in the St. James area during the ’60s and ’70s, Cantafio led the charge to open the Winnipeg Soccer Complex in the early 1990s. The centre was briefly home to Winnipeg’s first professional soccer club (which Cantafio also founded), the Winnipeg Fury, before it folded in 1993, and is currently home to the World Soccer Academy Winnipeg.
“It’s the best thing that happened to the city at that time,” Cantafio said of the 2,000-seat outdoor complex.
A committee of friends, family, and soccer community members has been working for about two years to have the complex renamed after Cantafio, who has also been inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame as a builder.
Cantafio said he is deeply grateful to his family and friends who have been behind him for the past 60 years.
“I never thought I would be recognized by the community. I can’t thank these people enough,” he said.
“I’ve never expected something in return for anything that I’ve done,” he added. “I’ve done it for the kids, for soccer in general because that’s my passion, and for the city and the province. I always felt that we as Winnipeg and Manitoba are second to nobody in Canada — I feel very strong about that.”
Héctor Vergara, executive director of the Winnipeg Soccer Association, said the 87-year-old has worked hard to see soccer succeed in the province and the facility renaming recognizes his passion for the game, his many contributions, and his years as a volunteer.
“Whether it was at the old Alexander Park, or whether it was at the Winnipeg Stadium for the Fury games, he was always there, always present, and trying to encourage people to be a part of the future of soccer in the province,” Vergara said.
Cantafio has had an unquestionable influence on the progress and direction of soccer’s growth in Winnipeg since the early 1950s.
A tailor by trade, he immigrated to Winnipeg in 1950 and settled in the River Heights area where he opened up business on Corydon Avenue. Without knowing a word of English, Cantafio committed to become a contributing member of Canadian society.
He managed the Italian Canadian Soccer Club which offered opportunities for Italian immigrants to connect and integrate with other athletes in Winnipeg and across the prairie provinces (in addition to playing in some thrilling matches). During this time, Cantafio said the growth of soccer in Winnipeg was evident and teams became more competitive.
“This was the joy of it; that soccer was growing more and more,” he said.
Cantafio also emphasized the values of sportsmanship and integrity, admitting that deep rivalries sometimes made a game-ending handshake difficult but all the more necessary.
“You have to be a loser before you can be a winner,” he said. “I learned that too very early.”
Throughout his career, Cantafio’s passion for the beautiful game motivated his work for the benefit of all. Still, Cantafio says he believes the sport should focus on the development of all young athletes regardless of league, affiliation or management and to put aside differences in honour of the game.
“It can be achieved but you have to prepare yourself to not be hateful or jealous,” he said.
The Winnipeg Soccer Complex will officially be renamed the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex on June 12 at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by a MMSL game at 12 p.m. on Field 1. The game will feature World Soccer Academy versus the Kildonan Cavaliers. Cantafio’s son, Ralph Jr., will coach the World Soccer Academy and his grandson will also play. Cantafio will be the honorary coach.
Admission is $3 for adults and free for youth and seniors.