Gridiron Founder Honored – Winnipeg Free Press

Andrea Backlund has always made her mark on the gridiron, but never once has she felt out of place.

Backlund spent 15 years as a leader of women's soccer in Manitoba and has been a role model for women in sports ever since.

Despite starting to tackle soccer when there were few opportunities for young women, Backlund never thought she was pushing the envelope.

“I always felt like I was where I was supposed to belong,” he said Thursday.

Backlund will open another chapter for women's soccer in the province in August when she becomes the first female player inducted into the Manitoba Soccer Hall of Fame. She joins previous inductees Ashley Prest, Jenn Romanoff and Laura Shea.

It will be confirmed on August 21 at the Princess Auto Stadium.

Backlund, along with eight others and one team, were officially announced as the Class of 2024 at an event in Sport Manitoba.

Other inductees include former Winnipeg Blue Bombers star Andrew Harris; CFL referee Al Bradbury; longtime high school coach Brian Marks; touch football star Corey Hanssen; Dr. Ed Pilate, a leader in sports medicine; high school coach Neville Scarlett; longtime Manitoba Bisons volunteer coach Rich Urbanovich; former pro Ted Milian; and 2011-2014. St. Paul's Crusades.

Raised in Regina, Backlund was born into a football family. He often trained with his coach brother and father.

“I fell in love quickly, and my father saw it,” she said.

“I excelled on the field, everyone accepted me, being the only girl didn't hold me back and didn't feel different.”– Andrea Backlund

So when her dad asked if she should tie the pads, Backlund accepted without hesitation.

Backlund, who later moved to Winnipeg, played with the boys for six years at the club level, starting at age 12. Except for the ponytail on the back of his helmet, he examined every part of the piece.

“I excelled on the field, everyone accepted me, I wasn't held back by being the only girl and didn't feel different,” Backlund said. “I've been able to leverage my skills and abilities, my teammates, my coaches, and those around me to jumpstart my career and do things I never thought possible.”

After graduating from the U18 level, Backlund thought his football career was over. A few years later, in 2008, the Manitoba Fearless were formed and joined the Canada West Women's Soccer League.

Backlund played center and immediately became the team's leadoff hitter until his retirement in 2022. During her career in women's soccer, Backlund was selected to help lead Canada to two World Cups, including in 2010 (and also in 2022).

“It's been amazing to see how many other women have fallen so in love with the game of soccer that they never had a chance to or didn't think they had a chance to — to get started,” she said of starting with Fearless. .

“It's amazing to see where women's football has come since 2008 and where it is now. It's just been incredible growth and it's going to be great to see where we go from here.”

Today, 125 girls are registered in the Manitoba Girls Soccer Association (a girls-only soccer league), and another 400 girls of all ages across the province are registered for national soccer.

Backlund's influence has been felt on the field in recent years, helping develop the St. Vital Mustangs' First Down program, which helps young children develop the fundamental movement skills needed to play sports, and coaching boys and girls soccer in the Manitoba Junior Soccer Association. Manitoba Girls Soccer Association.

“It's an honor to be the first female player,” she said, “but I'm glad to know I won't be the last.”

When Mark took over in 1992, he planned to be the head coach at St. John's High School for a short time.

Three decades later, there are hundreds of reasons why it remains.

“After a couple of years of coaching, I suddenly realized that the kids in high school needed that outlet, and I realized that the guys in this town were really great to coach, and I really loved them,” Marks said. “Then I started to see myself as someone who wouldn't train anywhere else.”

Marks, who resigned as an assistant coach in 2015, shared a story about when he went to close the locker room one evening. When he looked in the corner, the team's six forwards were sitting on the bench talking.

When I say, “Guys, it's late, it's eight o'clock,” a boy says: “Coach, we have nowhere else to go.”

“I understand, this is their place.”

He told the guard to give them another hour or two before closing.

“It was where they belonged, it was where they felt comfortable and I realized that without the team, they had nowhere to go. I think it shows how important the team is to a lot of kids.”

In addition to his contributions as a coach, Mark was Deputy Commissioner of the WHSFL from 2014-2023 and is a former President of Manitoba Soccer.

He said he plans to stay in football at some level until at least the WHSFL celebrates its centennial in 2033, when he turns 70.

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2024 Manitoba Football Hall of Fame

Al Bradbury is official
Bradbury managed six Gray Cups during his 22-year career in the Canadian Football League.

Andrea Backlund is a player/coach
During his 22-year career, Backlund was at the forefront of football tackles. She was the first female player inducted into the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame.

Andrew Harris – player
Harris is a Manitoba soccer icon. A standout with the Oak Park Raiders, Harris won four Gray Cups, including two in Winnipeg (2019, 2021), and is the CFL's all-time Canadian rushing leader with 10,380 yards.

Brian Marks is a trainer/builder
Marks is a longtime coach with the St. John's Tigers and has helped sustain the program since 1992, providing a place for hundreds of the city's youth to belong.

Corey Hanssen is a player/coach
Hanssen is the only player in Ultimate Touch Football League history to win back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards. He is the first non-contact football player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Dr. Ed Pilat is a builder
For decades, Dr. Pilat has achieved excellence in sports medicine in the province's football community. He has worked as the head physician for Winnipeg Rifles, Manitoba Bisons and Winnipeg Women's League games.

Neville Scarlett is a trainer/builder
Scarlett, who died of kidney complications in 2020, left a lasting mark on high school football in Winnipeg. Scarlett, who also coached Sturgeon Heights and the Winnipeg Rifles, was instrumental in bringing the football program to West Kildonan College.

Rich Urbanovich is the coach
Urbanovich began coaching community soccer in the 80s and later took a position as a volunteer coach with the Manitoba Bisons, where he worked for 32 years.

Ted Millian is a player
Millian is the only Manitoba-born player to win five Gray Cups. Millian played six seasons as an offensive lineman in the CFL, winning five consecutive Gray Cups to start his career, all with the Edmonton dynasty from 1978-82.

St. Paul's Crusades 2011-2014
University Crusaders won 39 consecutive games from 2011-2014 (including three straight championships), breaking the previous Winnipeg High School Football League record set in the late 1960s.