Football was brought to the forefront in the community from the Where is Riderville? campaign, and representatives from the Weyburn Minor Football Association and Weyburn Rider Nation are proud of how involved the community became through the whole c
Football was brought to the forefront in the community from the Where is Riderville? campaign, and representatives from the Weyburn Minor Football Association and Weyburn Rider Nation are proud of how involved the community became through the whole campaign.During the Labour Day game on Sunday, it was announced that Avonlea would officially earn the title of Riderville, along with $25,000 for minor sports programs in their community and a full-day football and cheerleading camp from the Roughriders. As a top-five finalist in the campaign, Weyburn will receive $2,500.We would have preferred to win, but the campaign was still a real benefit to bringing football to the forefront of everyones mind, said Brent Allin, president of the Weyburn Minor Football Association.Overall, when we look back on the Where is Riderville? campaign we can say it was a very positive experience, said Rochelle Wendt, co-chair of the Weyburn Rider Nation. Everyone in the community got on board, and we had a lot of fun. We are still the Weyburn Rider Nation, and we became better fans because of this experience.All the messages that we have received have been positive, added Wendt. We want to concentrate on all the fun that we had, and feel proud of the way that the community pulled together on this campaign.It was especially important for the Association to highlight football in the community, as there is a need for a new football facility. We are still working with our partners to find the right fit for a new football field in our community, said Allin. The Weyburn Minor Football Association has partnered with the City of Weyburn and the Cornerstone School Division with all their discussions.Since all five communities who were finalists were able to promote their minor sports programs and needs, both Allin and Wendt felt that the campaign served to be a good thing for the entire province.The real winner was everyone who is involved with football, as this campaign had many benefits, said Allin.Everyone had well-developed plans for how they would use the money, if they had won the campaign, said Wendt. Through the magic of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the amazing community spirit here in Weyburn, there was money raised for the minor football association and the Chris Knox Foundation.The plans for Avonlea, as the winning community, is to use the money to create a high school football program in their community, since they currently do not have one.
