NCAFA: 65 years of Our Huddle Includes EVERYONE

NCAFA President Gawain Harding has been a fixture on local football fields for the past two decades. Gawain was instrumental in the creation and growth of the Gatineau Viking and now takes his progressive “players first” approach league wide, as he and others work tirelessly to keep building the sport.NCAFA president Gawain Harding joins us to kick off the 2023 offseason.

We kick off the 2022 NCAFA season in the appropriate fashion with NCAFA and Gatineau Vikings President Gawain Harding. A fixture on local football fields for the last two decades, Gawain was instrumental in the creation and growth of the Gatineau Vikings. Gawain has now taken his progressive “players first” approach league wide as he leads NCAFA in into the future.

Although he didn’t play or coach in NCAFA, one can argue that coach Denis Piché has had the biggest impact on many NCAFA players after they moved on to the next level. Many of our previous guests have talked in glowing terms about playing for Coach P and his impact on both their playing careers and lives. A success wherever he has gone, 2006 uSport coach of the year Denis Piché joins us to talk about his playing days in Ottawa and a coaching career that has spanned 3 decades and covered 2 continents. Denis also talks about the growth of football in Ottawa and the vital role NCAFA played and continues to play in so many young lives.

All too often in youth sport we lose sight of the big picture and the value that team sport has in terms of life lessons and opportunity. Our guest today on the podcast reminds us of that. North Gloucester Giants grad and Ghanaian immigrant Cyril Adjeitey joins us and talks about his first exposure to football as youngster from Africa. Believing he was heading to “football” practice (soccer as we know it) he describes his shock in seeing shoulder pads and helmets. Quickly falling in love with and excelling in the game, Cyril parlayed his incredible on field skills to an outstanding career at the University of Ottawa, culminating in 2 All Canadian selections and 3 All OUA selections. More importantly it’s what Cyril did in the classroom that is truly leaving it’s mark. Graduating with a master’s degree in Biochemistry, Cyril has joined a company that among other things is the world’s leading producer of COVID-19 testing kits. Like many in his field, Cyril toils quietly behind the scenes making life better for all of us. A true champion on and off the field, Cyril is the epitome of success and has always served as an incredible role model.

The phrase “been there, done that” may be used often, but in the case of Ottawa West Knights Midget coach Jimmy Fata it is soooo applicable. The 2018 Midget Coach of the Year wears/has worn so many “hats” in the Ottawa community it’s almost unbelievable! Here are only of few of those: NCAFA player, Semi-Pro player with the legendary Ottawa Bootleggers, NCAFA coach, OFA Ref, Ottawa RedBlacks super fan, Ottawa Firefighter and really, just a great guy!! It was a great opportunity for us to be able to catch up with Jimmy and chat football and life. Truly one of the good guys it was a lot of fun to talk to such a selfless dude who is giving back where he can and epitomizes what is GOOD about youth football here in the capital. Of course we would be remiss if we didn’t ask Jimmy how the now iconic “Zipper Face” came to be! Thanks for everything you’re doing, we need more Jimmy Fatas!

It’s the behind the scenes work that often goes unrecognized or unnoticed, but it is this work that is crucial to the day to day operations of NCAFA. Thanks to the countless hours spent by volunteers, legions of young athletes have had the opportunity to experience and grow in our great sport. At the head of each club is that point person who helps lead the way. For the Panthers that person is Mike Schmidt. Having grown up a multi sport athlete, it was inevitable that the son of a CFL ref developed a life long passion for the sport of football. After playing for the East Gloucester Bengals, Gloucester Dukes and the Junior Riders, the evolution to coach was not only inevitable but seamless. Since his early days, Mike has worked tirelessly to help provide a healthy, safe and competitive environment for football players in the east end. Mike jumps on the podcast to talk about is playing days in NCAFA and some of the initiatives taken on by the Cumberland Panthers, one of the leaders in youth sports in the Nation’s capital. Thanks for your efforts Mike!!

Long before Ken Evraire was taking the stage as the CFL East’s nominee for most outstanding Canadian, he was learning his craft with NCAFA’s now defunct Strathcona Park Packers. From humble beginnings with the Packers, Evraire achieved stardom on the gridiron, making his mark with the Laurier Golden Hawks (all Century team, 2 time all Canadian, 3 time all OUA) and in the CFL (9 year career, CFL East All-Star). What separates Ken from a lot of his contemporaries is his life after football. After a seemingly effortless transition, Ken has gone on to be a bit of a local celebrity and his name has become synonymous with local sports and team building. Huge thanks to Kenny for taking the time in a very hectic schedule to jump on the podcast.

If you were to go into the lab and create the perfect NCAFA football coach, they would probably look a lot like Carlos Blizzard. Coach Blizzard, the epitome of the selfless NCAFA volunteer has spent the better part of the last four decades roaming local sidelines and mentoring young athletes. Coaching at all levels, Carlos has been a part of the Nepean Norsemen, Gloucester South Raiders and Nepean Eagles and if that wasn’t enough, coach Blizzard also spent many years volunteering as a youth basketball coach. An awesome story teller, Carlos talks about his journey from Trinidad to Goose Bay, Labrador to a stellar career at Bishop’s university. An injury in his senior year cut short his shot at a pro career, but the pro’s loss was NCAFA’s gain as Carlos jumped head first into what would be a coaching career spanning decades. Thanks again to Coach Blizzard for his efforts over the years and for taking the time to join us on the podcast.

Bel-Air Lions graduate Carlo Disipio jumps on the podcast and rehashes “old school” football and talks about how it’s changed. In his day Disipio was a feared running back at every level he played and was known throughout the city for his bruising, take no prisoners style of running. Carlo is also a member of that exclusive club to have played every level of football in Ottawa culminating with the Ottawa Rough Riders in their final season. A walk down memory lane, Carlo gets into his days in NCAFA, Laurentian HS intramurals, Cape Breton Capers football and.........mullets, amongst other other things.

Past president Steve Dean joins the podcast today to discuss his 15 year tenure at the head of NCAFA(2004-2019). Football in general has undergone seismic changes in the last 25 years, both in safety and participation. The expansion of flag, touch and girls football under the NCAFA umbrella took off after the turn of the century and Steve joins us to talk about his efforts and specifically the tireless hours spent by the myriad of NCAFA volunteers to expand the game, increase safety and grow what was already the leading minor football league in Canada.