It’s safe to say that Ryan Bliznikas is a busy man. Married with kids, he owns an accounting firm in Thunder Bay, Ontario but still finds time to give back to the football community.
“I coach everything at home that I can. My daughter and son at home will play flag, my son will play tackle in the fall and I’m coaching Hammarskjold High School, going on year 14 with the junior team,” he says.
“Provincially I’ve been asked to be a part of the U18 girls tackle team. I jumped at that one because it’s new, unique and about those opportunities and growing something. I jump back on the plane on the turnaround day and I’m out to Nova Scotia after that tournament with my U16 girls for flag. That’s the summer. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Bliznikas, who goes by ‘Bliz’ in the football community, has been integral to the growth of amateur football in his home province.
For a number of years now, northwestern Ontario athletes have earned spots in Manitoba’s U16 and U18 tackle rosters, while flag numbers are skyrocketing. Bliz has been part of the executive that’s overseen that growth through the Thunder Bay Minor Football Association.
“Locally, our flag numbers for indoor in April and May, we thought last year was big, this year was even bigger. A total of 430 kids are playing and another 50 were on the wait list. We’re partnered with Lakehead University. They actually let us be open for an extra hour after they’re closed, just so we could launch U18 this year, and those kids have been playing flag since the inception,” he says.
“We grew with that. Our tackle numbers are up, we ran an ID camp in Thunder Bay for U16 and U18. We had eight come in from Fort Frances and two from Dryden. That grew from just a single person the prior year, so knowing that they’re choosing us in a way for a regional camp makes it feel more whole. It was really nice to see that.”
This year, Bliz is taking the next step. Recently he was named President of the Board for Football Manitoba, a role that West Kildonan head coach Russell Wallace previously had.
A people person, he hopes to “grow the extended family” within the football community. His attention for detail will also be invaluable as he looks to expand the provincial sport organization’s reach.
“I want to help to grow numbers. That doesn’t mean just Winnipeg or Thunder Bay. Obviously those are your two largest locations, but the way to put it is how do you shrink the highway between here and Winnipeg? What other communities can we go in and try to help to get flag going,” he says.
“Fort Frances, Dryden, Kenora, can we help them get a U14 program to feed into their high school program? Are there jamborees you can do with them? Really the biggest thing is how can Football Manitoba be looked at from east to west coast as the leader in this sport?”