Demonstrating the Cree Nation’s growing influence in the sport, the Eeyou Istchee Sports and Recreation Association hosted the Juvenile National Broomball Championship in Val-d’Or March 26-29.
While the association has previously hosted broomball events drawing upwards of 80 teams, this was their first national tournament.
“Broomball has such a strong presence in northern Quebec, holding a very special place in community life for people in Eeyou Istchee and the Anicinape Nation,” said EISRA operations manager Clifford Loon. “We tried to prove we can organize events like this on a national level.”
The Eeyou Istchee United girls team played impressively for a largely hometown crowd. Showing improvement as the tournament progressed, they won bronze medals in the Division B category following an exciting 2-0 victory over the T-Birds.
“The Namagoose girls from Eastmain, Jasmine and Dawn, were key in putting together the team,” said Loon. “They did very well and received recognition as the most sportsmanlike team in all of Canada. It was a very young team – more than half of them were 14- or 15-year-olds.”
After final tryouts in January, the team was evenly mixed between inland and coastal players, with all communities except Whapmagoostui and Waskaganish represented. With only a few opportunities to practice together, coaches organized regional workouts and instituted an exercise regimen.
“The other teams have a lot of speed, so we wanted to be ready for that,” said head coach Jasmine Namagoose. “It was their first time playing body contact, but they adapted well and at the end of the tournament they were giving a lot of hits. It was nice to see them grow every game.”
With assistance from her sister Dawn, Eleanor Coonishish and team manager Jessie Groniger, Namagoose was honoured to share her experience with the first Cree national team.
Ten teams of youth under 20 competed in each of the male and female divisions with action-packed games played at the Centre Agnico Eagle’s two rinks from morning to evening each day. The Debden Roadrunners from a small village in northern Saskatchewan captured their fourth consecutive girls U20 championship.
The Canadian Broomball Federation approved the EISRA’s bid to host the 2025 juvenile national tournament a year ago. Working with a graphic artist, the association developed the event’s logo to represent both the Cree and Anicinape Nations along with gold bars symbolizing the host community.
With Cree communities hosting tournaments nearly every weekend during broomball season, the organization leveraged the experience of local recreation departments.
“You’ve got to make an impression, making sure everything is organized accordingly and runs smooth,” Loon explained. “Without the help of the local communities, this wouldn’t have been a success. Parents took time off from work to bring their child down in the middle of the week. I’m thankful for everyone’s contribution.”
Having played in national and international competitions, Namagoose recognizes the sport’s empowering influence. At events like the European championships in 2017, Namagoose met friends from all over the world. Last year, she was chosen along with Chisasibi’s Hailie Martinhunter to represent Team Canada at the North American Super Series held in Windsor, Ontario.
Another team composed of Cree and Algonquin women called the AlgonCrees won their first international tournament in Syracuse, New York, last year. In October, the AlgonCrees claimed silver at the World Broomball Championships in France while Anishinabe Iskwewak, which also had Cree players, earned bronze.
After Lorraine Nottaway from Rapid Lake had the idea of assembling an all-Indigenous team, Mayappo-Neeposh helped find players from Waswanipi and Waskaganish. She also chose the team name when Nottaway’s suggestion of Fireballs for their powerful shots was rejected because of its association with the alcoholic drink.
The team’s jerseys include a light blue and pink ribbon with the letters CLE, an acronym for Cree Leucoencephalopathy, a fatal genetic disease that affects the brain development in one of 300-400 Cree infants. One of Mayappo-Neeposh’s daughters passed away from this rare disease.
“It helped a lot with my grieving journey in raising awareness with this team,” Mayappo-Neeposh shared. “I’m glad they all agreed. I find broomball brings people closer. Through these tournaments, we reconnect with old childhood friends.”
As many team members are mothers with full-time jobs or studies, fundraising drives help cover significant travel expenses. When players aren’t available, they recruit women from their communities, or men when tournaments are mixed.
While broomball has long been popular in Cree communities, it is gaining greater attention in recent years. More boys are enjoying the sport’s fast-paced fun while parents appreciate the lower costs of the sport compared to hockey. Cree children can join co-ed leagues at age 4, Loon noted, giving them an advantage over other regions where programs start at age 14.
As the core of the Eeyou Istchee United team is so young, they are well-positioned for future tournaments. Namagoose hopes the team’s success inspires more youth to work on their strength and fitness training so they too can reach elite levels. She loved seeing them overcome their shyness to become good friends with girls from other communities.
“For the longest time the bigger focus has been about hockey and males,” Namagoose said. “I’m sure these girls are positive role models in their community. This is only the starting point. In the next few years to come, I think we’ll have a dominant team.”