Players, parents and coaches from the past and present will gather at the Goal Post Lounge, next to Rocky Stone Field this weekend, as they pay tribute to 60 years in football in Greater Moncton.
Gilles Lavoie was involved as a player, and coach for over 40 years, “I came in under Moncton Minor Football, in the 60’s. I played Peewee and Bantam, and that gave me a taste of the organization. Then I was lucky enough to play high school football at Harrison Trimble under Coach Woody Hayes. After making connections, starting in around 1996, I began working with minor football as a Coach.”
Lavoie says there is a lot of success that comes out of this region, whether players make it to higher leagues, or in the career path they choose, “The lessons or experiences that players have in the system are huge as they evolve into high school, university and into the workplace. Amongst my friends who I met at football, include lawyers, judges, doctors, accountants, people who own and manage and run companies, people who are high up in the Executive of major and lesser companies, all over the place. People leave Moncton, and once they get their education, they bring the skills of having to think on their feet, working together and discipline from the game of football with them . The friendships that are there as well, are absolutely huge.”
Saturday night’s reunion will help bring back a lot of memories that may have been forgotten. It will include photo displays and memorabilia from the past. It may also help to motivate those who are just starting out in the sport.
“It is a pretty unique game. For people who don’t know it, they just see people hitting each other on the field. When you play the game, you realize it enables, players of all shapes and sizes and athletic ability to take part. For any successful play, you need team work to make it happen. Everyone has to do their job to be successful,” Lavoie says.”
Many alumni have already purchased their tickets and are planning to attend, “Back in the day, Moncton Minor Football was built on the backs of people like Rocky Stone, former judge Mike McKee, John Gould, Steve Mullins, Roger Collette, Bob Esson, Ron Paschal, just to name a few. Certainly there have been many historically, and even more so now. The current one, most recently, out of Riverview is Mike Miller. The talent and abilities are there, but for the most part for kids in New Brunswick, it is the exposure that may be lacking a bit, as compared to the bigger centres, Lavoie says.”
Three major contributors to the GMFA will be recognized with honourary lifetime memberships, and current and former players will also be honoured, as a GMFA Wall is revealed.
“A lot of the people I mention were instrumental, and we wouldn’t be 60 years in without the people. This weekend, we will probably see a lot of old time people, that have been there for years. It will be great to see them and go over the memories and stories, but we really need people to come to this event, get a feel for what the sport and the organizations is all about. We need to drum up some talent that hasn’t come forward yet, or those who weren’t aware that they have some talent we can use. ”
This applies to whether you’re a player, a member of the Board or a volunteer.
More details about the event on Saturday, November 30th can be found on the GMFA Facebook page. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
