Opening Ceremony for the Snaw-nas-as Strong Mini-Pitch, September 2022 (Photo Credit: Bob Frid/Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC will observe Orange Shirt Day / National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday, on Friday September 30.
The Whitecaps FC office will officially be closed for business on Friday, outside of required operations in advance of Saturday’s match. Whitecaps FC first team players and staff will wear orange “Light the Path” shirts at training on Friday. The "Light the Path” shirt was designed by Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow and her grandsons Isaiah Baker-Sparrow and Cyler Point.
Saturday’s match against Austin FC at BC Place will feature a pre-match moment of silence to remember and reflect on the survivors of residential schools, the children who never returned home, and the ongoing intergenerational impacts of the residential school system.
As part of the club’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, earlier this month, Whitecaps FC helped open the Snaw-naw-as Strong Mini-Pitch in Lantzville, BC, in partnership with Hope and Health, Snaw-naw-as and Kw’umut Lelum Child and Family Services. The Snaw-naw-as Strong Mini-Pitch is the second completed mini-pitch in a series of pitches across Indigenous communities. The first pitch opened last September in partnership with the Penelakut Tribe and at the start of fall the third pitch will be completed in partnership with Stz'uminus First Nation.
"We encourage all Canadians to educate themselves on the findings and calls to action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as well as wear orange on Orange Shirt Day to raise awareness of the tragic legacy of residential schools," added Jennifer Scott, Whitecaps FC director of community and social impact. "Most importantly, to determine your role and responsibility on how you may contribute to positive change every day."
