Team Alberta 19U Girls NAIG Team

The Cause

The dream to hold Indigenous games began in the 1970’s. The first ever Native Summer games was held in Enoch, Alberta in 1971. It attracted over 3000 participants with 13 sports. Since 1971 it has grown and been held all over North America.

The NAIG council was formed between 1992-1993. The NAIG vision is: “To improve the quality of life for its Indigenous Peoples by supporting self-determined sports and cultural activities which encourage equal access to participation in the social/cultural/spiritual fabric of the community in which they reside and which respects indigenous distinctiveness.” The games became a reality when the first NAIG games were held in Edmonton in 1990.

We want our children to be a part of the indigenous games experience and continue this tradition. The funds would be used to help our athletes be able to afford to travel either to the games or to two tournaments that we have booked beforehand. The team has been invited to participate in 2 tournaments prior to the NAIG games in Arizona & Maryland. These tournaments would be a wonderful opportunity for our girls to practice as a team against other strong teams in the US. The funds would be used for 20 players and the coaches.

Who Will it Benefit?

Our athletes would benefit from this funding by not having to experience a financial burden in order to be involved with the sport they love for Team Alberta NAIG. The experience of getting to compete at this level against other indigenous teams from across North America is unparalleled. Our athletes will also benefit from the NAIG games by getting to experience cultural activities and exhibitions, traditional ceremonies, food, crafts and artwork which will be showcased at the games.

Trying out and being chosen for a Team Alberta team will also benefit our athletes that want to pursue post-secondary education. It will open up opportunities for lacrosse scholarships and funding to schools that they might have not been able to attend otherwise.