New Indigenous soccer team gets ready for first season

The new Nautsa’mawt Football Club (FC) is getting ready for its first season, and the team’s owner says it’s a stepping stone for Indigenous youth to play high-level soccer.

“If you’re Indigenous from wherever in this province or country, you’re going to have a fair shot,” said William Yoachim.

The Indigenous team will soon be training at UBC in Vancouver. Nautsa’mawt FC plays in the division right below Major League Soccer (MLS), giving Indigenous youth a stepping stone to a high level of sport that the team says was once impossible for them to reach.

Yoachim is from Snuneymuxw First Nation. At the moment, his men’s and women’s teams are mostly made up of championship-winning UBC varsity members while new players go through trials.

Sophia Ferreria plays defense for Nautsa’mawt FC. She says bringing this team into the fold is “extremely significant.”

“For the Indigenous it’s hard for them to be recognized and seen outside of their communities so this gives them an opportunity to come out and play at such a high level,” she said.

“It gives them a chance to kind of go from grassroots all the way up and gives them a chance to play in a league where lots of professional clubs are looking at and players are getting pulled from there,” added Bennett Mckay, a goalkeeper for the men’s team.

“We had almost 40 trialists at BC Place to get a look at from the coaches, see where the skill sets are at BC Place – where it’s fair to say these 40 individuals, young men and young women, probably weren’t trialists in the past,” said Yoachim.

Yoachim says the team name Nautsa’mawt translates to ‘One Heart – One Mind.’

His organization, called Hope and Health, creates opportunities for Indigenous youth to play sports. He says it partnered with UBC to make this new team possible.

“We want to create a healthy movement for Indigenous young ladies and young men to come forward at a high level,” Yoachim explained.