Moose Jaw Minor Football seeing changing of guard
The Moose Jaw Minor Football League will have a new president for the coming season, for the first time in more than 30 years.
Long-time head league organizer Owen Morhardt decided to step away from the position he held for more than three decades this season, making way for former Canadian Football League offensive lineman and current Vanier Vikings assistant coach Matt Sheridan to take over the reins. “It’s a unique opportunity,” Sheridan said. “When I first became aware of it, I was flattered that I had been approached; there were a couple of people that thought I would be suitable for the position. Then I found out that Owen had been doing it for 30 years and I was, quite honestly, a little intimidated. Those are some big shoes to fill.
“For anyone who hasn’t been involved in minor sport, this is all volunteer stuff. I knew that from having grown up playing, coaching and everything, and the kind of dedication it takes to stick with something for 30 years is a testament to that.”
Given how the MJMFL essentially runs like a well-oiled machine from season-to-season at this point, Sheridan has no intention of trying to reinvent the wheel – no, his initial plans are to tweak what already works and see if some improvements can be made. “All I can hope to do is keep things going and try and inject some new ideas and a different way of doing things, trying to get Moose Jaw Minor Football to that next level with increased participation and making sure the kids are out there having fun and doing so in a safe fashion,” Sheridan said.
Sheridan brings an impressive football pedigree to the job – he played eight seasons in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2001-2008, twice winning the team’s outstanding lineman award. He retired in 2010 and has spent the last five years in Moose Jaw as a strength trainer at Team Redgoat in addition to coaching with Vanier and the Saskatchewan Selects football teams.
“(The local coaching experience) is most valuable when it comes to this,” Sheridan said. “My experience at the CFL level is going to be nothing more than a marketing tool. It’s going to grab people’s attention and where it’s going to really make a difference is being able to collaborate with our stakeholders and coaches and grow minor football.” With minor football season kicking off in August, there’s plenty of time to get settled in. But that’s not to say there’s isn’t stuff to do, beginning with registration opening this week. The immediate future will also see some infrastructure work on the local fields. “Owen and the previous board have done a really good job, so we have some funds set aside to install sprinklers at Elk’s Field and we also want to get some work done on the practice fields to make sure that surface is up to par and able to handle all the practicing that’s going to happen,” Sheridan said. “In a broad stroke, our plan is to continue providing opportunities and continue to expand the reach and the calibre of what we’re doing.” One major goal Sheridan has connects with his current coaching activity: he’d like to see a closer collaboration with high school football in Moose Jaw, eventually reaching the point where minor football acts as a direct feeder system for local teams. “That’s always been something I’ve been conditioned to believe, growing up playing and now coaching football. Each successive level has a responsibility to prepare players, should they have any opportunity to play at that next level,” Sheridan said. “So, we just want to try and build that relationship and foster some closer ties so that at the end of the day any of the kids who want to play in high school or beyond, we’re in position where we’re giving them the toolsets to lead them to success.
“We want to make sure our focus stays on the mandate where we’re giving kids an opportunity to play the game and coaching lessons they need to succeed on the field obviously, but I’m also a firm believer that football and a lot of team sports are a metaphor for life and there are a lot of lessons that can be learned through sports that are difficult to create in other places.”
For more information on the MJMFL or to register for the coming season, see www. mjfootball.ca.