The North Winnipeg Nomads have come a long way since their inception in 1969. Once a single-age bantam team, the program exploded to over 500 athletes by 2010, becoming western Canada’s largest amateur football club. 

“There were four terminator teams and four atom. Peewee I think had three, and we had minor bantam and bantam, then we had midget and major. The [WWCFL’s Winnipeg] Wolfpack joined us and then the MGFA joined us, so we exploded to over 622 kids playing,” recalls Jeffrey Bannon, the commissioner of the Winnipeg High School Football League and Nomads president from 2013-14. 

“We were a small business. We had 20 board members. That was around the time that we started the Seven Oaks Flag Jamboree. We still have a great relationship with Seven Oaks School Division. We had essentially 200 kids who didn’t play football come to the Nomads field through all Seven Oaks schools and play flag football for a day.”

Tradition and history are invaluable to the club. Past presidents such as Don Van Achte and Keith and Kerry Sampson helped North Winnipeg thrive from the 80’s into the 2000s. 

Additionally, long-time board member Richard Dudek was instrumental in field and facility upgrades through the years. One of these upgrades came in 2010, when the Nomads constructed a new 3600-square foot clubhouse and storage facility – the result of fundraising that began back in 2002. 

 “The Sampson family, I think all five brothers were involved in the program. Nathan Yamron, president two times. Those are the names that come to mind who have been there forever. Don Van Achte, his name is on the wall. Sixteen years,” mentioned Bannon. 

“You have to know your history to know where you’re going. Don, I see him at work all the time. He’s on the sideline at Bomber games. We would talk all of the time. Don would tell me all these stories about how they were over at Frank Whyte, and how they bought it for a dollar. 

“The Sampsons would tell me stories about how they would do pancake breakfasts. They had better programs in the late 80s and 90s than we do now and we have better technology. Someone would type it up on a typewriter and they would hand it out. It’s crazy the stuff they would do with pancake breakfasts and rallies. The Sampson men were the coaches and were running the facility, but the Sampson wives were equally important back then. You gain so much respect.”

The Nomads were equally productive on the field. As of this writing, the green and yellow have won close to 30 Manitoba provincial championships. Recent names to come through the program include Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, Saskatchewan Huskies defensive tackle Kieran Cummings, former Kas Vidruk Lineman of the Year Rain Slater and Manitoba Bisons Austin Balan (started at safety as a true freshman in 2019), Elijah Rivera (defensive back) and Jarrett Alcaraz (defensive back). 

Phillips and Slater were part of a roster coached by Dan Noordman, another name synonymous with the program. In a three-year span, Noordman’s teams only lost a couple of games. Those rosters set a precedent for today’s players, in part because of their commitment. 

“Those teams really set the bar for the Nomads, because they all came up from the beginning. My kid looked up to the Rain Slater era and Christian Phillips. And everyone knew who Brady was. You saw our Nomads for Life awards, we were graduating 10-12 kids a year who had been with us all that time. It’s contagious,” says Bannon. 

“You take a look at the Cummings’. That family is entrenched in Nomads football. Noordman, he coached twice. He coached his first kid and his second kid later. When his grandson comes back, he’ll be a third time coach.” 

Just as important has been the safe space North Winnipeg’s facility has provided. Over the years, it’s been a safe haven and a positive influence, teaching countless athletes invaluable lessons. 

“We were really out there, and we were a positive influence in the community,” says Bannon. 

“When kids played, they didn’t leave. That canteen was crazy. I would work those canteens for hours upon hours. You looked around and it was football, family and fun. Those kids were staying around in their jerseys playing on the small field and just hanging out while the other teams were playing.” 

Bannon proudly notes that his love for football comes from the Nomads. The lessons he learned there and the memories he and his family created were the catalyst for future opportunities with the Blue Bombers, Football Manitoba and the WHSFL. He’s not alone in that fact. Many Nomads lifers continue to give back to the program to this day – a major reason for the club’s sustained success over countless generations. 

“I’m in love with the Bombers, I’m in love with the CFL, but my first football love is the Nomads,” noted Bannon. “I may not wear all of the merchandise I have still, but I’ve still got it. All the stuff I have that says president, it’s not going anywhere. I’m never going to give that up. I’m proud of that.”