Kids from the Okanagan will travel to Edmonton Nov. 13 for a sports adventure of a lifetime.
The Kelowna Junior Sun team won a tournament a few months ago in Vancouver which qualified them to represent B.C. in the CFL NFL Flag National tournament during Grey Cup week.
These children will have the opportunity to compete against nine other teams from Canada during the Grey Cup festivities.
Then the winner from this tournament will move on to represent Canada at the NFL Pro Bowl in January held in Orlando, Florida.
Kelowna Jr. Sun head coach Brandon Thompson said this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for these young athletes.
“I am so proud to be associated with such a great group of kids,” he said. “I really believe this team has a chance to advance to the Pro Bowl.”
While the team did win an all-expense paid trip to the Grey Cup, it did not cover the entire roster and a GoFundMe has been started to pay for three additional athletes, as well as ‘swag’ for the team members.
According to Thompson the team also hopes to raise funds to extend the trip so that players and their parents can stay and watch the Grey Cup game in November.
So far just over $600 has been raised of the $10,000 in the GoFundMe goal.
There are also four fund-raising events taking place over the next two months in support of this team:
- Sept. 8 – Okanagan Sun Football game, BBQ and raffle
- Sept. 22 – Okanagan Sun Football game BBQ and raffle
- Oct. 7 – Okanagan Sun Football game BBQ and raffle
- Oct. 15 – Monday Night Football at Okanagan Brew Pub
This is the second year the CFL and NFL have partnered on the Flag Football program in Canada that will host regional tournaments in each of the nine CFL cities, with a 10th tournament added in 2018 to take place in Atlantic Canada.
According to the CFL, this partnership to support flag football provides opportunities for children to participate in a fun, safe physical activity. The games is non-contact, continuous action and provides children with education on the fundamentals of football, lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship. Check out flagfootball.ca for more information.
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