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September 2, 2003
Youth league celebrates Tenth Anniversary
Joseph Denomme of the Lockerby Colts looks for an opening in the defensive line of Central City in Joe MacDonald Youth Football League Tykes Division action on Monday afternoon at Lily Creek Field. Central City took the game 58-8. |
Joe MacDonald Youth Football League has been host to more than
1,500 young football players since its inception
By Bruce Heidman/The Sudbury Star
Celebrating the organization’s 10th anniversary, the Joe MacDonald Youth Football League executive and more than 350 players, parents and other dignitaries gathered to pay homage to the league’s namesake Monday afternoon at Lily Creek sports complex.
The league was formed to honour Const. Joe MacDonald, a young Sudbury Regional Police officer who was shot to death Oct. 7, 1993, after pulling over two men during a routine traffic check.
Since then, the JMYFL has been host to more than 1,500 young football players and has been a significant contributor to the sport of football and the community in the Sudbury area.
MacDonald’s wife, Nancy, who attended along with the couple’s two daughters, Melissa and Julia, said in an emotional speech that the league is a fitting legacy for her late husband.
“On behalf of the family, I’m really proud of the friends Joe had,” she began. “It has been 10 years of unwavering commitment, and I really appreciate that and just wanted to thank you for keeping his memory alive.
“This is the most fitting of legacies for Joe,” she continued. “Ten years ago, at the very first banquet, I told the kids at that time that Joe would often say that when he went to play football at Carleton University in Ottawa he would tell his teammates who were from southern Ontario that in Sudbury there wasn’t a league where the kids could start playing football at an early age and then get to university to compete.
“He was proud that although he didn’t have that experience he was able to make the football team from high school and the Spartans. He also said that someday he would have liked to have and be part of a youth league here in Sudbury. So this is the most fitting of legacies for Joe, and I couldn’t think of anything better to have in honour of his name. I want to thank every one of you for committing your time and thanks to the parents and the players and their commitment. It means a lot to the family and a lot to his daughters.”
Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson praised those in the community who have come in contact with the league.
“This is the 10th anniversary of the league and unfortunately the 10th anniversary of a tragedy that happened in this community,” he said. “But I really believe that out of tragedy a lot of good comes, and this is a perfect example. Every kid who puts on a uniform is a winner and every game played on this field is a victory, a victory for Joe MacDonald and a victory for this community, and I am very proud of every one of you.”
Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, who heads the JoeMac Committee, thanked the league executive for staying with the league and encouraging its growth.
“On behalf of the entire community, I want to thank the organizers and those people who have stayed with the league for the past 10 years,” he said. “If you don’t know, these people were all Joe’s friends and knew him very, very well, and what they are trying to do here 10 years after his death is to develop the same character that Joe possessed, the character that made him loved by an entire community, that made him get involved in youth football, that made him perform his duties as a police officer to his potential.
“This league is all about reaching potential. Certainly the executive has and so have the players. More than 1,600 players have been affected by the memory, the character and enthusiasm of Joe MacDonald as related by those people who keep his memory alive, and thank you so much for all you do for this community.”
Longtime Sudbury football guru Sid Forster was also remembered for his contribution to the league by his wife Anne.
“My husband died in 1994 right on this field helping out kids in this league,” she said.
“But I can’t imagine that if he had to die that he would want to go any other way. It’s such a thrill to see all the children here to play football. It’s a great organization and I’m so happy to see the kids having fun playing football like he wanted them to.”
League president Mike Staffen said the league will have a long-lasting effect on those who take part.
“The kids have a great time, and I meet kids all the time who tell us how much they enjoy playing football and what they have learned from their coaches,” he said. “It improves their skills in football but also in school and life.”
September 1, 2003
Season kickoff honours MacDonald
JoeMac Committee will take part in season-opening ceremonies for
By Carol Mulligan/The Sudbury Star
A young police officer who lost his life on the job will be honoured today at Lily Creek sports complex when the Joe MacDonald Youth League Football League (JMYFL) kicks off its 10th season.
The league was formed to honour Const. Joe MacDonald, a young Sudbury Regional Police officer who was shot to death Oct. 7, 1993, after pulling over two men during a routine traffic check.
Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson and Sudbury Liberal MPP Rick Bartolucci will join league officials at the event.
Bartolucci is head of the JoeMac Committee, a lobby group that has fought to keep MacDonald’s killers, Clinton Suzack and Peter Pennett, in maximum-security prison, and is seeking to reform Correctional Services Canada.
Bartolucci said he will update sports fans on the efforts of the JoeMac Committee in recent months.
He said he’ll tell supporters that, “like a good strong football player,” the JoeMac Committee won’t be kept down.
Instead, it will continue its work to “affect significant change” in the justice system.
Bartolucci commended the people who founded and started the youth league for their efforts to remember MacDonald, “who loved kids and loved football.”
Mike Staffen, president of the JMYFL, said: “Inspired by Const. Joe MacDonald, the league is proud to carry his love of football and the community spirit to Greater Sudbury.”
Giving Sudbury youths an opportunity to learn the game of football through hard work, dedication and teamwork, helps them achieve their goals both in their sport and in their lives, said Staffen.
The presentations by dignitaries will be made about 2 p.m., in between the first and second games at Lily Creek.
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