A young shíshálh soccer player is getting ready for a major international tournament, and that means both practice and fundraising.
Fifteen-year-old Kordell Johnson will be competing for the North American Indigenous Football Association’s (NIFA) U16 Team BC at the Waipio International Premier Cup in Hawaii.
Kordell has been playing soccer since the age of three, and has played for house league and rep teams, including the U16 Eagles who won the North Shore Cup in February.
He tried out for, and made, the NIFA squad last year. The team includes players from around the province.
Kordell will be at centre midfield for Team BC. He said he already knows more than half the team and they’ll start practising together more regularly as the tournament gets closer.
Kordell’s mother said it’s not unusual for players from several communities to come together when individual First Nations can’t field a team on their own for the various all-Indigenous tournaments in the province.
And Kordell said that experience will make it easier for Team BC to gel in time for the Hawaii tournament, which runs from August 11 to 21.
NIFA is hoping to send teams from six different age classes, and every player will have to come up with about $2,300 to cover expenses for the 11 days they’ll be in Hawaii.
Kordell’s parents, Marla and Willard, say they’ve been running a drop-in fundraising bingo every Friday and have also gotten support from local businesses including Gibsons Building Supplies, Lehigh and Grieg Seafoods.
If you’re interested in helping, contact the Johnsons via email at [email protected]
