The number of sports teams playing in Niverville continues to grow. This summer will mark the inaugural season for the Niverville Force, a new soccer team who will begin play after the August long weekend.
The Force will be playing in the Manitoba Major Soccer League, starting in the third division in their first year.
Coach Andry Giesbrecht says the team’s goal is to move up to compete in the top divisions in the next few years.
The team is co-owned by Giesbrecht and local soccer enthusiast Sue Thompson, who also serves as team manager. The partnership began in the fall of 2020, when Thompson contacted Giesbrecht, who has years of experience both as a soccer player and coach, about the notion of starting a local soccer club.
“We’ve been a team ever since,” Giesbrecht says.
The Force are ready to go with a full slate of players from Niverville and the surrounding area. But according to Giesbrecht, they will soon be looking to add more players and depth in coming season as the team grows.
The team’s home games will take place at Hespeler Park, while away games will take them throughout Manitoba.
Game action will begin in Winnipeg on August 3 against the Triumph. However, the first home game will kick off at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10 against the Scorpions, another Winnipeg-based team.
The Manitoba Major Soccer League is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development of amateur soccer in this province. They have been operating since 1971 and, according to their website, they feature the best adult amateur soccer in Manitoba.
The MMSL currently boasts nearly 150 teams in total, both outdoor and indoor, and a roster of over 2,000 players.
Thompson says that the support from both local and non-local businesses has been tremendous in the lead-up to the start of the season.
“WM Dyck’s and Negash Coffee have sponsored our home jerseys, and Brio Insurance and Sunova Credit Union have sponsored our away jerseys,” says Thompson. “Plus other local businesses have donated money towards other expenses, like field rentals and various start-up costs.”
Giesbrecht is eager for their first game and to work with the first crop of Force players.
“I am so excited for this opportunity for the young players in this town,” Giesbrecht says. “And I hope that they will have an opportunity to play locally for years to come!”
