‘A chance to play football at a high level'

Winnipeg Free Press

25-06-2025

One of Football Canada's longest-standing amateur events is returning to Winnipeg for the first time in nearly two decades.
The U16 Western Challenge will draw 160 of the best up-and-comers in tackle football from Western Canada, July 2-6. The tournament will run concurrently with the U18 Indigenous Cup, a separate event being hosted in Manitoba for the first time.
Along with the 40-man roster from the host province, the U16 Western Challenge includes teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
CAMERON BARTLETT PHOTO
Fergus Kolida is the pivot for Team Manitoba in the U18 Indigenous Cup. Manitoba is hosting the largest iteration of the event for the first time.
'This is the absolute cream of the crop, in terms of U16 players, across the country,' said Bill Johnson, executive director of Football Manitoba. 'If you want to see the best amateur players, U16 level, this is where you get them.'
It's the youngest level for interprovincial tackle football, meaning for many kids, it will be their first time representing their province.
'It's huge because we want to give local kids something to look forward to, something to look up to,' said Johnson. 'Our high-performance teams, provincial teams, it's not really on the radar. Kids who are playing tackle football are thinking they want to play university, they want to go on and play Rifles or (Canadian Junior Football League), they want to go on and play CFL, NFL… they never really think about provincial teams.'
Manitoba last won the event in 2005. Saskatchewan has dominated in recent years and enters the tournament as four-time reigning champions.
Games will go on July 2 (3:30 p.m., 7 p.m.) and July 5 (10 a.m., 1:30 p.m.) at Maple Grove Rugby Park.
Meanwhile, the largest iteration of the U18 Indigenous Cup will run for the first time in the province when squads from Saskatchewan, Alberta and Thunder Bay, Ont., (representing Northwestern Ontario) convene.
The tournament started as a two-team event between Alberta and Saskatchewan, which both run six-a-side leagues for Indigenous players. Last year, Manitoba jumped into the action, and because the interest has grown, this year will be played at nine-a-side.
Manitoba's team, in particular, includes 24 players.
'First and foremost, we want to give these kids a chance to play football at a high level,' said Johnson. 'And for some of these kids, especially if they're coming from a smaller program, a rural program, they maybe haven't had the experiences, the coaching they need to play on our U18 provincial team.'
Football Manitoba is running the event in conjunction with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The club's president and CEO, Wade Miller, footed the bill for every player on Team Manitoba last year, and he is doing the same this time around, along with players from Team Northwestern Ontario.
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'It's really big for them to do that, and it makes it a lot easier, removes some barriers for some of these kids who otherwise just wouldn't be able to do it,' Johnson said.
The Indigenous Cup contests take place July 3 (3:30 p.m., 7 p.m.) and July 6 (10 a.m., 1:30 p.m.) at Maple Grove. The action on the field will bookend a cultural event on July 4 (7 p.m.) at Princess Auto Stadium, where teams will celebrate their heritage with performances and traditional games.
'(The Manitoba Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Council is) coming out, and they're going to set up some Indigenous-style games for the kids to try. And, for some of them, it's probably the first exposure they've had to some pieces of their culture,' said Johnson.
'It's kind of a cool thing.'
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Joshua Frey-SamReporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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