Soccer SuperFans

By: Dano Thorne, Duncan BC (Cowichan Traditional Territory)

I am a diehard soccer fan I have played the game as a national level and coach for the last 30 years out of Duncan/Cowichan - Victoria BC. The game of soccer has been involved within my family for over 100 years and it is my family tradition part of our cultural fabric.

I have used soccer as a way to promote my First Nations  ancestry all my life and have used it to build a career in sports so that I could promote access, equity, health and wellness for Aboriginal people in Canada. Soccer is a way of breaking the cultural divides because for so long it has  been very hard for aboriginal soccer players to fully access and play at the highest levels in Canada through a variety of social impact issues and national barriers.

So, I founded the Native Indian Football Association (NIFA) in 1990 that would give our Aboriginal players opportunities they would not have in mainstream soccer. For over 20 years our women's select teams have traveled on 10 overseas tours of soccer and cultural exchanges with many countries like Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Australia, England, Italy, Holland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and the United States.

I will be rooting for England and Holland in that order, as both countries really are due to win soon.

Huych-Qu, Thank you.

Dano