Warriors’ First Nations night was heartwarming for all

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The National Lacrosse League has again rolled out its Every Child Matters initiative for this year. The league has been growing in participation with programs tied to Indigenous initiatives, which includes accessibility to education programs for not just Warriors players and coaches, but staff and fans as well. Look for Warriors players and every team across the league, as they will all rock Every Child Matters decals on their helmets. The Vancouver Warriors went above and beyond with their third annual First Nations Celebrations Night on Friday, March 1st against the Buffalo Bandits.

In addition to the Warriors wearing Every Child Matters orange t-shirts and staff and coaches wearing a decorated Every Child Matters pin during warmup, the team hosted Musqueam Indian Band Chief Wayne Sparrow for a pre-game presentation. Sparrow also appeared on the jumbotron to hype the lively Vancouver crowd throughout the night. Squamish Nation Councilor Wilson Williams and Chief Jen Thomas each assisted Sparrow with the pre-game land acknowledgment and ceremonial ball drop.

A special performance was also included for the singing of the national anthems, a high-spirited presentation of the Coast Salish Anthem. During the game, there were stands around the concourse selling limited Every Child Matters orange t-shirts and educational booths from the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and BC Lacrosse Association.

Rogers Arena saw a youth invasion for most of the night, as the pregame consisted of many kids from the Lower Mainland and Indigenous communities standing alongside the black and gold Warriors. The building was packed with kids of all ages waving foam fingers and cheering on the team as each of their 13 goals went into the net. The crowd did not let up and assisted the Warriors in the big win. 

Coquitlam, B.C. product and Warriors Head Coach Curt Malawsky said the crowd’s deliverance made a difference. “(It was) unreal. (The fans are) spending their hard-earned money, bringing their family here, and supporting us. They can do a multitude of things in Vancouver, and they choose to come and see us.”

The crowd’s nonstop emotions had a huge impact on the Warriors’ performance and Malawsky acknowledges how thankful he truly is to have the barn packed. He has been around the league for 16 years but has never seen a crowd in Vancouver like he did for the game against the Bandits.

Malawsky also feels strongly about the involvement lacrosse has with kids at a young age. “It was outstanding, we had 70-plus kids on the floor, First Nations kids from all around the Lower Mainland, and it was heartwarming. (To see) the smiles on their faces, and the opportunity they gave us to hang out with them.”

The youths’ involvement was heard and seen all around the arena as every section was packed with kids who didn’t give up throughout the entire game. The Warriors are an organization that always looks for ways to participate in the community, like the “Stick to School” program which visited 80 schools over the last six months. 

“We are a pay-it-forward organization, we want to give back to the great game we have here, so to have some of the young kids from First Nations was special. The (players) were enjoying it, it was real, and that is what I loved, it brought tears to my eyes. We got a lot of hugs from the kids, and I think it was just excellent. It was very heartwarming,” Malawsky reiterated. 

It was, as Malawsky said, a very heartwarming night, and the Warriors will proudly don their Every Child Matters shirts and decals for the next home game.

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