Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Thursday, July 26, 2007

DEH CHO - Twenty-nine soccer players from the Deh Cho are on their way to test their skills in New Mexico.

Athletes from Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River and Fort Liard are participating in the inaugural Indigenous Soccer Cup that is being hosted in Albuquerque, New Mexico from July 28 to Aug. 4.

Players from the region will make up parts of four teams from the Northwest Territories. The teams will include a U14, U16 and U19 boys' teams and a U19 girls' team. Competition will come from teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and a number of U.S. states.

"I believe it's going to be cool and a lot of fun," said Shane Thompson, who's coaching the U19 girls' team with Yvonne Carpenter.

Athletes from the Deh Cho were invited to participate in the games after competing in the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) that were held in Denver, Colorado last July. The U19 girls and boys' teams were invited on the basis of their performance and permission was given to bring the U14 and U16 teams, too, said Thompson.

Playing in New Mexico will give the teams a chance to scout out the competition for the next NAIG that will be held in British Columbia in 2008.

"It gives us an opportunity to see where we are with that competition," said Thompson.

But the tournament is about a lot more than just soccer, he said.

Youth from the NWT will have an opportunity to see a new part of the world and experience a different culture. The athletes are also expected to meet new people and make new friends, said Thompson.

In addition to soccer games, the event includes daily cultural activities, life skills and college preparations sessions and a soccer camp for skill development.

To make the trip a reality players had a lot of fundraising to do.

As of July 23, over $56,000 had been fundraised or contributed from the athletes' personal funds to cover the trip. The amount was just short of the approximate $60,000 needed, but Thompson said he was confident the rest of the money would be donated.

Support for the trip came from businesses and organizations in the Deh Cho as well as the Aboriginal Sports Circle, the government of the Northwest Territories and other businesses, said Thompson.

With the donations that made it possible, players were expected to board a bus on Wednesday evening for the drive to Edmonton and the following flight to New Mexico.

Athletes will be staying in residences at the University of New Mexico.

Their first game is scheduled to begin on July 29.

The games will be played outdoors on pitches that measure 65 by 50 metres. Thompson said he hopes heat won't be a factor but playing at a higher elevation might affect performance.

At the U19 level the girls' team will play two games, 40 minute periods each, which is more than they are used to in the indoor games that run for two 25 minute periods, he said.

Megan Okrainec, who plays on the U19 girls' team said she was "excited" to be heading off on the trip.

Okrainec said she was looking forward to "the great experience of going to New Mexico and playing soccer there."