CanWest cancels football, soccer seasons Move big blow to Bisons, Wesmen athletes and coaches By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 8, 2020

Brian Dobie's 46th year in the coaching biz has been like no other.

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This article was published 07/06/2020 (1565 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Dobie’s 46th year in the coaching biz has been like no other.

On Sunday night, when news leaked out that the 2020 Canada West football season was being cancelled — another casualty of the worldwide pandemic — he answered a flurry of calls from concerned players and colleagues before shutting his phone off for a few hours.

The pain his players were feeling was raw and this blow, even though it couldn’t have come as a huge surprise, felt like a gut punch for the veteran coach, who has spent the last 25 years in charge of the University of Manitoba football program.

PULLING THE PLUG

•  Canada West football, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s rugby 15s and field hockey were cancelled for the first term of 2020-21. The conference announcement coincided with similar edicts from Atlantic University Sport and Ontario University Athletics.
•  Decisions to be made by July 15 on championships in golf, cross country and swimming.
•  No two-term sports (hockey, volleyball, basketball) will begin prior to Jan. 1. A decision on whether to proceed with a shortened season to be made by Oct. 8.
•  Men’s and women’s wrestling, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s rugby 7s are also subject to Oct. 8 deadline.
•  At the national level, U Sports announced the cancellation of all first-term national championships. Athletes in sports without national championships in 2020-21 will not lose a year of eligibility and will remain eligible for athletic scholarships.

“Next year when you ask me how long I’ve coached for I’m going to say, ‘Well, I’ve run a program for 46 years but I’ve coached for 45,'” said Dobie Monday, between more calls from players and prior to an evening video conference with the entire squad.

“Well that’s a pretty good run, but how about our players? They don’t get that run as athletes. Their window is very now. It’s a very small, short window and even if they’re fortunate and good enough to go pro, that’s a short career.”

The cancellation, which also affects first-term University of Winnipeg and U of M women’s soccer teams, could eventually include two-term sports such as hockey, basketball and volleyball.

On Monday, Canada West and most of its U Sports partners were planning reduced seasons for those sports with the hope of a January start.

As it stands, Dobie’s team will go at least 22 months between games if the 2021 season starts on schedule.

“It will be almost two years between games for those guys,” said Dobie. “That’s a long grind to train. The good thing about them is they’re university students, so it’s not just about football. They’re combining their football and education experience and that’s a huge asset for them right now.”

University of Manitoba Bison football coach Brian Dobie says the cancellation means it will be almost two years between games for many players. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press)

Second-year receiver A.K. Gassama hadn’t seen the inside of the club’s IG Field weight room in months but had recently joined some teammates for informal workouts outdoors. Earlier this spring, Canada West announced the intention to play a reduced football schedule but the possibility of cancellation was always there.

“As it was getting closer you try to stay positive because we’ve been working on the field — (quarterback) Des (Catellier), the receivers and some of the DBs, we’ve been on the field three times a week for about the last month,” said Gassama. “Today, when you get that notice, it’s mixed feelings. First and foremost, I’m unhappy but at the same time… with how it turned out, I’m not surprised.”

While scholarships should not be affected by the cancellation, Dobie was concerned about how a cancelled season will impact out-of-province recruits scheduled to arrive this fall as well as a small number of veteran players who were preparing to return for a fifth year of eligibility while also closing in on the 24-year-old age limit. Another year away could run some of those players out of eligibility.

“It’s not like we’re short of things to do. We’ll be working, we’ll be training in whatever way we can. If it’s in small groups, we’ll be doing that but I’m a big believer you’ve gotta focus on things within your control.” – U of W soccer coach Amy Anderson

Without formal league play, Dobie said the six Canada West head coaches have been considering possibilities for keeping their players active, including one proposal of a 7-on-7 passing game tournament played indoors in Saskatoon during the winter and a multi-team football jamboree next spring. All would be subject to the approval of heath authorities.

The cancellation was also a heavy blow for the Wesmen and Bisons women’s soccer teams.

“As a program we’re disappointed that we won’t be able to participate and players are competitors and they love representing their program and they love participating in the games as the coaches do, too,” said U of W head coach Amy Anderson. “However, we’re understanding this is a Canada-wide decision and we’re putting student-athletes’ safety first.”

U of M coach Brian Dobie fielded dozens of calls from anguished players over the loss of the fall season. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press)

Earlier, Canada West officials proposed a shortened 10-game season for soccer. Now with the season wiped out, the future is uncertain.

‘IT WAS AMAZING’

Bisons receiver A.K. Gassama felt the heartbreak of a lost football season Monday. It was a stark counterpoint to the experience of being part of the crowd at the Justice 4 Black Lives rally at the Manitoba Legislative Building only three days earlier.

“It was amazing… amazing,” said Gassama, who emmigrated from Sierre Leone with his family as a three-year-old. “After the rally, on social media we saw that we had 20,000 people there.So to see that in Winnipeg, a smaller city, if we have 20,000 people supporting that it’s very powerful to show.

“It’s one thing about the movement and the protests — that’s like the siren — but what’s more important is the action that (comes) after the protest. Because that’s what we’re trying to strive for.”

He felt supported in the cause.

“I think that 20,000 wasn’t even the full number because we’re also in a pandemic,” said Gassama. “I think more people would’ve come out — elderly people, who obviously have more at risk.”

“It’s not like we’re short of things to do,” said Anderson. “We’ll be working, we’ll be training in whatever way we can. If it’s in small groups, we’ll be doing that but I’m a big believer you’ve gotta focus on things within your control.”

First-year U of W goalkeeper Taryn Raabe was encouraged by some workouts with small groups in recent weeks. Now, she faces a 15-months interval between games.

“It’s kinda nice just to see everyone even if we are social-distancing,” said Raabe. “It’s definitely not the same environment but it is enough to get by.”

U of M men’s basketball coach Kirby Schepp is hopeful a season can happen in some form.

“The best you can do is plan for contingencies, right?” said Schepp. “And certainly, (Canada West) had a best-case scenario of a shortened regional season and that was scrapped and the next one is a January start, which is what they are pushing now for us. We’ll just keep moving forward and see what we can do to keep our guys engaged.”

Schepp was encouraged that U Sports has ruled that athletes in any sport that doesn’t stage a national championship will preserve the year of eligibility.

He would also understand a player’s decision to opt out of burning a year of eligibility in 2020-21.

“I could not in good conscience recommend they do anything else,” said Schepp. “The important thing is we’re flexible here as an organization and an institution. And, more important than that, we’re athlete-centred. That’s certainly the approach I’m taking.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14