(File photo/ CJME News Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Saskatchewan's Team

‘It’s part of summer’: MUCC Football Coach talks Riders impact in Northeast Saskatchewan

Sep 6, 2020 | 8:00 AM

Saskatchewan’s Canadian Football League club might be based in Regina, but as the name states, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are ‘Saskatchewan’s Team.’

Sunday is Saskatchewan Roughrider Day in the province as the team celebrates its 110th year in existence, even while there’s no CFL football being played this season.

David Rogers is the head coach of the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate football program and sees how much the Riders mean in the North East portion of the province. He said with the Riders being the major, stable professional sports franchise in Saskatchewan, fans gravitate to that.

The community involvement is another thing Rogers really notices with the Riders, as well. He remembered when the Riders came to Melfort to play a charity hockey game against the MUCC football team. The Palace filling to capacity and the autograph line needing to be cut, showing how much people in the area love their Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“They come up here, they talk to our kids about what it means to be a good person, educated and that sort of stuff,” Rogers said. “And that’s just huge because those guys are role models for our kids in our communities.”

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Rogers added that Rider football is part of the culture of being from Saskatchewan.

“We go on our pilgrimage down to Mosaic Stadium or Taylor Field and we go see the Riders, and there’s 36,000 people in there and the place is hopping,” he said. “And there’s people dressed up in costumes, and some of them have watermelons on their heads, and everybody is just having a great time. I think that’s what the Riders have come to symbolize.”

As a football coach, Rogers said he’s been able to see what the Riders mean and how the team is engrained in Saskatchewan. Two Melfort football products were set to be on the roster this season with first round draft pick Mattland Riley, and former Regina Thunder star Logan Ferland. Rogers said the Riders do a great job of finding talent in Saskatchewan and keeping them in the province and making them Roughriders.

“The better the Riders do, I think the easier it is to recruit players into our program because the kids are aware of what’s going on,” he said. “They see it in the media, the Riders are household names.”

With there not being any CFL football this season, fans are left without their trips to Regina to see their beloved team. Rogers said it’s got a big effect on lots of Saskatchewan football fans.

“It’s part of summer, it’s part of fall,” Rogers told northeastNOW. “Here we are, Labour Day Classic, we should be getting ready for two back to back games against the [Winnipeg] Blue Bombers, and we’re not. This is the first time I can every remember not having football on Labour Day, and that’s huge.”

Rogers said if the CFL can continue on next season, he hopes there’s a big jump in people wanting to go to games. He said especially in the western provinces, there could be a big uptick in fan bases and people attending games.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6