Kelly Bates
CFL.ca

The strength and popularity of the sport of football is not just measured by the successes experienced at the professional level within Canada. I would argue that the continued growth of football in Canada is based on a healthy foundation built by microcosms of football communities that work together to become stronger from within and without in both independent and dependent manners.

I will use the the following experience to illustrate my thought.

Last Friday, July 16th I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Saskota Bowl, a high school all-star game pitted between 9-man football players from Saskatchewan and 8-man football players from North Dakota. Each year the site of the game is alternated between North Dakota and Saskatchewan and this years’ edition was held in Lumsden, Saskatchewan. The game itself was great with North Dakota coming out on top 56-42.

What was interesting to me was to see the different positive influences this all-star game brought to the town of Lumsden. There were the obvious aspects to anyone attending; a sold out crowd of football fans of all ages, a great game of football between two deserving sides. The game itself is used as an engine to unite the community.

There are also the intertwined intricacies, found behind the scenes, which illustrate how much the game of football can mean to a community. For example, current Rider President Jim Hopson was in attendance representing the Saskatchewan Roughriders and participating in the ceremonial kick-off. However, Jim’s tie to the community runs much deeper than just that day’s activities. As a former high school teacher in the Lumsden area, Jim was the very person who helped bring to fruition the creation of the football field that this year’s Saskota Bowl was played on. As the former Director of Education for the area Jim was directly responsible for hiring this year’s head coach of Team Saskatchewan, Luke Dunville.

As I am sure that field has been used over the years for a variety of different functions. I am also certain that the overwhelming majority of those events have, in one way or another, helped further bind the community together. In this case, it all began with the creation of a football field. It is a showcase of just how important sport, in this case football, can be to a community.

What I witnessed in Lumsden is a distinct representation of two different microcosms of football within Saskatchewan that have worked together, developed each other, provided support of each other and strengthened each other. They, in effect, help to maintain the strength of each other. This occurs all over this great country. Is it really any wonder the Canadian game continues to grow in popularity?