Source: Alberta High School Football
It is with a heavy heart that Football Alberta announces the passing of one of amateur football’s greatest volunteers and supporters. Susan Morgan was a member of the Edmonton football community dating back to the mid-80’s. Starting as a parent signing up her son James to play bantam football for the Edmonton Chargers, she quickly moved into a volunteer administrative role with the team and one she would hold for over 30 years. Minor football was suffering in Edmonton during the 1980’s. The old Edmonton Bantam Football Association only featured seven teams when Susan joined the Chargers down from 20 teams in the 1960’s, but through her efforts and those of her future husband Dale Manko, the league was stabilized which kicked off an unprecedented period of growth that now features over 70 teams at five different levels of play in the renamed Capital District Minor Football Association.
Susan’s fingerprints were all over any new development that benefitted the game of football at the minor level including being in on the ground floor of the creation of Minor Provincials, Bantam Bowl, football’s participation in the Alberta Summer Games, Eskimo’s Novice Flag and Atom League, and Team Alberta U16 for which she served as General Manager. However it is the thing that was dearest to her heart, the Edmonton Chargers Minor Football Association, that brought her the most joy. Building it into a model for all others to emulate the Chargers feature one of the few permanent bases for minor football with a clubhouse that has all the amenities to host all of their teams, and its’ fitting that they last game she presided over on their behalf saw the Bantam Chargers win the Tier I Provincial Championship last November. Her son James, who got her into football in the first place, is now the head coach of that team and won the Football Alberta Bantam Coach of the Year for 2015.
Susan was admitted to hospital on May 4 with septic shock and never recovered. She passed away on June 9 and was 61 years old. Originally from Regina and an unapologetic Roughrider fan, she will always be remembered as a tough, no nonsense advocate for the game of football with a heart of gold. No child was ever denied a chance to play the game regardless of their economic standing on her watch and she will be missed.
No funeral plans have been announced at this time and out of respect for the family, who request privacy at this time, further notifications will come at a later date.
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