On Saturday August 17 at Vincent Massey High School in Brandon, host Manitoba went 2-0 in mini-game round robin action to walk away with the best record of the 2013 edition of the 6 Nations Challenge.
The tournament hosted 6-A-Side tackle football players from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec from August 11-17.
The 6 Nations Challenge is aimed at player development as well as increasing participation among Aboriginal players across Canada. In 2013 the event returned to western Canada for the first time since its 2010 inception in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
In Wednesday’s Shootout Challenge, Manitoba defeated Quebec 24-22 and Saskatchewan 32-26 to gain top seed heading into Saturday’s mini-game round robin. Quebec and Saskatchewan tied at 36 in Wednesday’s other contest.
Thursday evening featured a skills competition while on Friday participants took a break from the competition to attend a CFL regular season game after touring Winnipeg’s brand new Investors Group Field.
To open Saturday’s action, Quebec represented by the James Bay Eagles defeated Saskatchewan 46-36. Manitoba defeated Saskatchewan 44-14 in the second contest to set-up a third and final mini-game between the top two seeds. With home field advantage on their side, Manitoba proved too strong for Quebec winning 50-20. Manitoba remained undefeated throughout the week’s action.
The 2013 edition of the 6 Nations Challenge marked the first time in the event’s history that all participating teams were lead by Aboriginal head coaches. Among the trio of passionate head coaches is Trevor Monaghan who has led Quebec since the event’s inception in 2010.
“The work we put in is to help our First Nations youth develop life skills, have new experiences and chose a healthy lifestyle,” explained Monaghan, the founder of the James Bay Eagles football program. “They are the next generation.”
Gavin Young (Manitoba) and Justin Pooyak (Saskatchewan) round out this year’s head coaching trio.
About 6-A-Side Football
6-A-Side football is a perfect fit for minor football, Aboriginal communities, female participants, and any community that is unequipped to manage a full 12-player program. Players are also able to develop a well-rounded skill set since they are not restricted to one position. 6-A-Side football is a fast paced game, allows for 1-on-1 coaching and lets everyone touch the ball while still teaching the fundamentals of football: tackling, blocking, passing, catching and kicking.
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