Annual Woodall game heads indoors
Officers take on youth teams in event that honours constable killed on the job
Const. Daniel Woodall was a family man, a soccer fan and police officer.
And this year, the Edmonton Police Service is taking their memorial game for the slain officer indoors, as they host the fourth annual Woodall Cup on Thursday (6 p.m.) at the Edmonton Soccer Dome.
The EPS Blues will play three 45-minute games against the Scottish Under-13 boys team, Under-15 girls team and Under-17 boys team.
“We had an opportunity to reach out to the Scottish Club here in Edmonton. A lot of EPS members play for Scottish, so there is a connection there,” said Const. Bruce McGregor, Woodall’s former partner and one of the event organizers. “We’re going to play three 45-minute games versus a few of their youth teams, which is a great way for us to remember Dan and his love for football (soccer). And it’s also a great way for us to raise money for the Zebra Child Protection Centre.”
Woodall, 35, was shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant in June 2015 in relation to a hate-crime investigation. The English-born officer had been a member of the EPS since 2007.
“Dan and I started together in Southwest, we were squad mates together in Southwest Division Squad 7,” McGregor said. “Dan originally came from the U.K. as an experienced officer.
“Dan was well-liked as a police officer, he had a good sense of humour. He was a hard worker, he was dedicated, and it was obvious to everybody that he was a family-first person. He loved his boys, he loved (his wife) Claire . ...
“He enjoyed helping people, he loved football and was a massive Arsenal fan.”
The inaugural Woodall Cup, which was sponsored by FC Edmonton, was held in 2015 and featured a game between expats from the United Kingdom and the EPS Blues. Arsenal FC in London donated uniforms for the game.
“We reached out to Arsenal and asked them if they would support in any way, and they were fantastic,” McGregor said. “They donated kits for all the ex-pat members that played in the game and they donated a goalie kit. They were very supportive and understanding of the event, they were great.”
The following year the two sides met again in the second instalment of the event.
“What was neat about that one, there were five Greater Manchester Police Service members that came over and played in that game, so that was a cool experience,” McGregor said. “They were extremely impressed by the city of Edmonton and the support for the Woodall Cup.
“Then last year, we played the Calgary Police Service in a Battle of Alberta, and this year, the opportunity to play youth teams, Claire really liked that idea. Dan has two boys and they have a love for soccer, as well, just like Dan did, and she thought it was pretty cool.”
With FC Edmonton in hiatus this season preparing for their inaugural Canadian Premier League season, the EPS Blues reached out to the Edmonton Scottish United Soccer Club to see if they could set something up in their new indoor dome.
“It’s been a great partnership. They’ve been very pro-police, they’ve been very organized, very supportive and this is something everyone is looking forward to,” McGregor said. “We hope to keep this partnership with Edmonton Scottish. It’s a great opportunity that the Edmonton Police have to play youth in the game of soccer.
“It’s a great way to build relationships. So we plan and we know Scottish plan to continue this event. Whether that’s around the Woodall Cup, we’ll see. But we will certainly continue this relationship and we hope to continue to have these games with teams in the community.”