If you’re taking a stroll through Hespeler Park and you hear the shouts and cheers of excited locals, there’s a good chance you’re hearing the fan club of the local men’s soccer team, the Niverville Force.

Now in its fourth year, the Force have built a reputation for themselves in the Manitoba Major Soccer League (MMSL). The team’s 18 players are almost exclusively from Niverville, with a couple coming from Steinbach and Winnipeg. Their division’s only other rural team comes from Winkler, with the balance based out of Winnipeg.

The MMSL is the province’s premier league for adult male soccer. The season runs from May through September and half of the Force’s 18 guaranteed games are hosted in Hespeler Park.

Niverville’s Sue Thompson is both the owner and manager of the Force. She’s thrilled by the community’s support and hopes the fanbase will continue to build as the season continues.

“We get 100 to sometimes 150 people coming [to watch],” Thompson says.

As an appreciation to the fans, Thompson will be handing out complimentary ice cream sandwiches to the first 100 people who show up for their next Sunday, July 20 game.

At this point, there are only four home games left in the season.

Thompson organized the first Niverville Force team alongside Andry Giesbrecht in 2021. Her son Brendan played with the team that year.

“In this league, when you start a team from the ground up, they’ll start you at the lowest level,” Thompson says. “That’s your entry point. But we were too good for that level, so we actually had to pay for a spot [in the division]. As you get up the ladder, as we have, if the team folds, we can sell the spot.”

In their fourth year, the Force has placed in division one. Giesbrecht has since moved away, leaving Thompson to manage the team on her own.

It’s Thompson’s job to find annual sponsorships to pay for team jerseys, field rental costs, and league fees. She sets up the field for each home game, and for the rest of the week she manages the team’s social media presence. The Force’s Instagram account has more than 800 followers.

It’s also Thompson’s job to recruit new players.

“Every spring we have a sort of training session and we rent the CRRC,” Thompson says. “Typically, what we’ve done is keep our [existing] guys. We don’t make them try out again. If some guys leave, we have spots open, but these guys are like family.”

Thompson also sits on the board of the MMSL. She’s one of the only female members.

For the last decade and a half, the local soccer scene has been a significant part of Thompson’s life. She moved to Niverville with her family in 2009, and by 2010 she was an active volunteer with the local youth soccer program.

Her kids have since grown up and moved on, but Thompson’s dedication to local soccer at both the youth and adult levels continues.

She says 2025 hasn’t been their strongest year thanks to player injuries and other hurdles. Still, she says there’s still time to turn it around.

In the meantime, she encourages locals to check out their Instagram (@nivervilleforcesc) to get the details of every game. Fans are also encouraged to sign up for the Force annual golf tournament, to be held this year on July 26 at Old Drovers Run. Funds raised will go towards the purchase of team equipment. For more information on registering for the golf tournament, email nivervilleforce@gmail.com.