LAWYER PARLAYS LOVE OF FOOTBALL INTO POSITION WITH ALOUETTES
Catherine Raîche said she heard most, if not every, joke about lawyers during her three years working for the Montreal-based Gascon & Associates firm, where she specialized in tax laws. But what Raîche might not realize was she became the punch line of some of those barbs when she left the firm to work for the Alouettes almost one year ago.
“I don’t think she’s crazy, but some people honestly did have that initial reaction,” said Audrey Robitaille, a lawyer and one of her former colleagues who remains close with Raîche. “People who knew her professionally did doubt the decision. It’s obviously an uncommon decision to take for a lawyer ... but we all take our own path.
“She’s a very good lawyer with ambition and is driven. I have a lot of faith in her that she’ll probably break that glass ceiling for women in football.”
Raîche, a 27-year-old Montreal native, has been the Als’ co-ordinator of football administration since December. She’s a regular at practices, travels with the club and watches every game from the spotter’s booth.
For this privilege, she arrives at her Olympic Stadium office most mornings by 7:30 and considers it fortunate when she leaves for the east-end apartment she shares with a roommate by 5 p.m., but most days it’s considerably later. Even then, her cellphone is nearby, knowing it can ring with a potential fire that requires extinguishing.
Raîche won’t comment on her salary, but said she took a significant pay cut to work for the Canadian Football League team — one that she joined as an intern at training camp in 2015, while juggling her legal responsibilities, often working until 1 a.m., before getting a few hours’ sleep.
“I’m just going to say the money’s different in pro sports,” Raîche said, laughing, during an interview this week. “You work for the most part of your life. In football and law, you work more than you see your friends and family. It’s super important to love what you do and don’t feel like you’re working. That’s my life goal, and there’s no price to that. That’s what I felt I was moving to and that’s what I still feel.
“I understand you have to start somewhere. Loving what you do
is priceless.”
Like many in the CFL, Raîche holds down numerous responsibilities. She’s involved in contracts and the salary cap, works on the day-to-day logistics and helps with the immigration process for new import players. She’s available for the daily needs of the players and coaches, serves as a legal liaison between the football operations department and administration office, and assists with the team’s sponsorships.
On the road, she helps with logistics and travel. During games, she ensures the tablets provided to coaches are functioning. She also charts every play.
Raîche, clearly cognizant of her role as a female in a male-oriented field, never oversteps her boundaries and admits she’s not attempting to reinvent the wheel. On the other hand, every time she attends a meeting, Raîche is probably the smartest person in the room.
“If you ask my opinion of women in pro sports, I don’t see it as a disadvantage. It’s an advantage because I’m different,” she said. “What I bring to the table is different. We’re in 2016. This is something we should start having more of.
“I’m just trying to provide a different flavour or way of doing things,” said Raîche, who has a strong work ethic, insight, energy and organizational skills.
“I do everything I can to make this organization better. I can’t catch balls, go on the field and do these things. But I can definitely help the players and coaches focus on football. They built this franchise. They’re good at what they do. They know what they’re doing. I’m not here to change anything. I’m here to help and maybe help them see another side of it.”
Raîche and her family have had a long-standing love relationship with the game. Raîche was involved with the football programs at CEGEP André Grasset and with the Vert et Or while completing her law degree at the Université de Sherbrooke. When she and her girlfriends watched games, she was the one who paid attention while they talked and socialized.
Working for the Als proved to be no lark — no pun intended — for Raîche. She contemplated the decision for 18 months before writing to assistant general manager Joey Abrams. A meeting was scheduled before Abrams put her to work at some regional combines. When Raîche arrived for camp last year, she had never met GM Jim Popp. Only this week did she finally speak to Als owner Robert Wetenhall.
“I thought it was interesting that someone with so much credentials would be interested in moving over to football,” Abrams said. “It was obvious she was
extraordinarily smart and motivated.
“The thing I noticed right away was her work ethic; it was beyond fascinating. She was brought to camp and it snowballed from there. The work ethic, intelligence and motivation to be more than just an entry-level position showed right away. She’s the type of person, you tell them once and forget about it. It’s over. It’s in her hands and you don’t have to worry about it.”
Although Raîche retains some clients and can return to law fulltime down the road, she hopes to make a career of football, hopefully in the CFL while remaining with the Als. And, although she says it somewhat meekly, Raîche hopes to become a GM.
And while the two haven’t met, Raîche is well familiar with JoAnne Polak, who became the first female GM of a North American professional sports franchise when the Ottawa Rough Riders hired her in 1988. Polak was 29 at the time.
“Football’s a world of ego and I’m a woman, so what do I know?” Raîche said, offering no apologies. “I won’t let my gender prevent or prohibit me and I’ll work my way there. Don’t get me wrong — I have a thousand things still to learn. I don’t see this as a short-term project. It’s a longterm goal.”