By Pete Hudson, with John Loxley and Peter Ferris
Contents
Origins
Politics
Crescentwood Saturday International
Democracy, Self-Organization and Blatant Nepotism in the Team Selection
Mutual Aid
The Sabesky Incident
Pints
Supporters
Struggles, Past and Ongoing
Contents
Origins
Politics
Crescentwood Saturday International
Democracy, Self-Organization and Blatant Nepotism in the Team Selection
Mutual Aid
The Sabesky Incident
Pints
Supporters
Struggles, Past and Ongoing
Origins
Late 70's team photo showing that the CSSC's current problem with non-uniformity in the team "uniform" is a long-standing issue. Albert Wong's shorts seem particularly overly flamboyant, but it was the style of the time perhaps. Top from left, Bill Kitson, Someone Hiding Who May Not Have Pants On, Sal Hidara, Guido Duirnsberger (or something like that), ?, Saul Schubert, David Stambrook, Albert Wong, ?, Gerry Gelinak. Bottom from left: ?, Pete Hudson, Chris Romano, Bruce Dryburgh, ?.
Crescentwood Saturday Soccer Club was named in honour of its origins as a group of friends (and friends of friends) meeting every Saturday afternoon at the Crescentwood Community Club in Winnipeg for a pickup game. The games were come one, come all, skins vs. shirts, no ref. and played, despite the old adage about there being no such thing as a friendly game of soccer, as though there were. Things became more formal in the 1975 season in which year CSSC applied and was accepted into the Manitoba Major Soccer League and assigned to whatever was the lowest division at the time (5?). This step was taken after much debate, with several holding out for the pure recreational value of the status quo. The MMSL had rules around maximum numbers on a team, number of substitutions allowed, and intrusive officials such as referees. It certainly couldn’t be come one, come all anymore. We even had to buy uniforms. (our first set of socks had no feet – just an elastic . (None of us could figure why a sock would have a design feature inhibiting it from travelling up the leg, as opposed to down, which is the normal tendency). The compromise was an earnest attempt to maintain the friendship ties within the team, as well as its left wing leanings, despite the constraints of formal league play. The price paid for a philosophy that friendship and politics was more important than soccer skills was a few seasons with a somewhat negative showing in the win loss column. In our first season we didn’t win a game, although we did manage a 1-1 tie against a division leading team. On that occasion the opposition, Zagreb, inexplicably showed up for a Sunday afternoon game drunk legless to a man. The referee’s sobriety was also in question when he awarded Crescentwood a rare indirect free kick on the opponent’s 6 yard line. Our tying goal was then engineered between striker Freddy from Columbia (whose last name has been lost in the mists of time) and midfielder Pete Ferris, penetrating in wily fashion an 11 man wall on the goal line. One other bright spot was one early season when CSSC striker Chris Romano led the whole MMSL in scoring. His prolific performance altered only slightly our won/loss record for that year, but this was still a time when we celebrated a corner kick. The following year, Chris paid for his kamikaze play inside the opponent’s box when he split his skull in a collision with the opposition’s goalie. He was due to preside the next day as best man at a friend’s wedding at which dress was supposed to be casual. Chris chose a top hat to hide his head wound, but had to rent tails to go with it.
In those early years, the team consisted mostly of ex-patriot Britons some of whom were returning to their love of the game after many years away from it, and Canadian born players who were playing the game for the first time as adults, and relying on their athleticism to carry them through the learning curve. Goalkeeper turnover was particularly problematic. One of the first was Jerry Fast, Canadian born, destined for the CFL at one point, whose athleticism and willingness to put his body in harms way, kept goals against usually in single figures. We lost Jerry when he moved to Vancouver to a new job with the union which employed him. Another, a bit more short lived, featured in a game which we lost 5-2. The opposition had only 5 shots on goal. A routine eye check up, fortunately shortly after, resulted in our goalie being declared legally blind. One other was a radical feminist with anarchistic leanings who brought his knitting to each game in the hope that he would have some quiet moments. Alas these were few, and we never did see what the finished product was supposed to be. We lost him, and his ability to keep the ball out of the net through a total disregard for his body, when he upset the Unemployment Insurance people by bending a few of the rules. He was required to repay a bundle of past benefits with money he no longer had. He organized a fundraising gourmet supper at $25 a head as a starter to paying off his debt, to which most of his teammates, in a show of solidarity, subscribed. It was a very tasty 7-course meal which he himself prepared. The more naïve of us discovered after the fact that by judicious use of his ankle length raincoat with big pockets, we had all partaken of a meal, most of the raw material for which had been spirited out of the local supermarket without benefit of a stop at the cashier. Many years and many goalies later (Gord Orlikow, Dean Sigurdsson, Graham Reed and Brett Hudson come to mind), Bill Kitson, a converted full-back, undertook to guard the pipes for a considerable and stable period. Bill continued the CSSC tradition of players carrying on despite advanced age, infirmity, missing body parts, etc., although a fingertip, left behind in the flap of a video drop, was not one of the most serious of such handicaps. More recently we have luxuriated in two “real” (i.e. their preferred and prior coached position) keepers in the persons of Eric Rochon and currently, Chris Aiken.
In those early years, the team consisted mostly of ex-patriot Britons some of whom were returning to their love of the game after many years away from it, and Canadian born players who were playing the game for the first time as adults, and relying on their athleticism to carry them through the learning curve. Goalkeeper turnover was particularly problematic. One of the first was Jerry Fast, Canadian born, destined for the CFL at one point, whose athleticism and willingness to put his body in harms way, kept goals against usually in single figures. We lost Jerry when he moved to Vancouver to a new job with the union which employed him. Another, a bit more short lived, featured in a game which we lost 5-2. The opposition had only 5 shots on goal. A routine eye check up, fortunately shortly after, resulted in our goalie being declared legally blind. One other was a radical feminist with anarchistic leanings who brought his knitting to each game in the hope that he would have some quiet moments. Alas these were few, and we never did see what the finished product was supposed to be. We lost him, and his ability to keep the ball out of the net through a total disregard for his body, when he upset the Unemployment Insurance people by bending a few of the rules. He was required to repay a bundle of past benefits with money he no longer had. He organized a fundraising gourmet supper at $25 a head as a starter to paying off his debt, to which most of his teammates, in a show of solidarity, subscribed. It was a very tasty 7-course meal which he himself prepared. The more naïve of us discovered after the fact that by judicious use of his ankle length raincoat with big pockets, we had all partaken of a meal, most of the raw material for which had been spirited out of the local supermarket without benefit of a stop at the cashier. Many years and many goalies later (Gord Orlikow, Dean Sigurdsson, Graham Reed and Brett Hudson come to mind), Bill Kitson, a converted full-back, undertook to guard the pipes for a considerable and stable period. Bill continued the CSSC tradition of players carrying on despite advanced age, infirmity, missing body parts, etc., although a fingertip, left behind in the flap of a video drop, was not one of the most serious of such handicaps. More recently we have luxuriated in two “real” (i.e. their preferred and prior coached position) keepers in the persons of Eric Rochon and currently, Chris Aiken.
Politics
Pete Hudson and Sal Hidara cool off after representing CSSC in the annual Winnipeg Peace March. As the marches are no longer held, we assume they were successful in ushering out the former domination of the military-industrial complex and global Imperialist aggresssion. Nice work.
On other continents football has always had political implications. Governments have risen and fallen with the fortunes of the national team. In Spain, Barcelona has always been associated with the Republican cause and Real Madrid with the Fascists, as that country’s brutal civil war is remembered. This has not been so much the case in Canada or the USA, certainly with football (soccer) which has emerged only recently. CSSC however was founded as a very political team. An early example was the bitter Griffin Steel strike. This strike involved CAIMAW, a radical Canadian union striking against the use of compulsory overtime at Griffin. Several of the team had done picket duty with the workers during which it was discovered that several members of an opposing team were scabbing. We refused to play them, and made public the reasons why. Several of the team in senior positions in public service found themselves jobless when the infamous Stirling Lyon Tories came to power in 1978. One member, Michael Decter, who was then head of the Planning Secretariat which was being abolished, survived the Lyon purges. At the behest of the incoming neo-cons, he was handing out weekly pink slips, some to his team mates. Since his own decently paid job was also on the line, that might have been forgivable, but he seemed so enamoured of his association with power, without regard to who was exercising that power and to what ends, that in a dramatic team meeting, he was voted out of the team. He went on to prominent positions in public service elsewhere but his football career was over. The unemployment rate on the team rose again when the Pawley NDP government fell in 1988. Founding member Pete Ferris – a dedicated and innovative public servant with many accomplishments - had to leave the province in search of employment after being fired by a small-minded and vengeful Filmon regime. CSSC lost a fine veteran. John Loxley kept the political fires burning and acted as the conscience of the team. He stopped a game in Stonewall on one occasion because of a racist remark one of the Stonewall players had made. He demanded, and astonishingly got, an apology from the offending player and the game resumed. John, joined later by some other team mates, founded the very effective Choices Coalition to combat the neo-liberal philosophy of the Filmon government which was becoming increasingly damaging to our social and economic fabric with each year in power. Several of the team served on the Board of the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities during the decade of the 1980s, and helped transform the image of the clients from those needing charity, to people with abilities and contributions to make. The agency actually had been using depictions of Tiny Tim in some of their materials. SMD was one of the beneficiaries of the Labatt’s Lite 24 hour Relay. CSSC entered a team most years under the name The Red Tide, which won quite a few honours. During one lengthy portion of CSSC history one of the opposing teams was St. John’s Ravenscourt Old Boys. SJR is an elite private school – an institution antithetical to the more egalitarian society upheld by CSSC. The SJR alumni were well aware of this, resulting in games which were more class war than soccer. Regrettably, as is so often the case, the ruling classes had the superior fire power, and celebrations of a victory for the proletariat were rare. A threat of a picket at the school brought an apology from their old boys who had thought it appropriate to tell one of our players to `go back to the Middle East`. We learned a good lesson in class struggle and the power of capital from SJR when they took their fields, formed another league and expressly did not invite us to join them.
Crescentwood Saturday International
The team’s commitment to, and enjoyment of, diversity was evident in a succession of Sub-Saharan African recruits, most with some fine skills. Unfortunately the status of most as graduate students meant that they moved on all too soon. One graduate student, Albert Chan, returned to his native Hong Kong to put his liberty at risk as a leader in the democratic movement there. The exception to this transiency was the North African connection; all Moroccan except for one Algerian. The connection with this talented cohort began sometime in the early 1980’s and has continued until the present. Of special note is the 20 year stay of midfielder Salahadin Hidara; unofficial ambassador to the Moroccan-Canadian community of Winnipeg and official slaughterer of lambs in the helal fashion. Sal was a towering presence on and off the field, whose imposing physical stature was belied by his gentle and caring friendship. One on-field incident stands out. It was a cup game; tied after overtime with a penalty shoot-out pending. The referee astonishingly decreed that one person from each team should take all five kicks. Sal, even though as a result of an earlier ankle injury was limited to toe punts and side foots, was elected. He coolly put all five into the goalie’s right hand corner of the net and sent the goalie to the left every time. His death in 2003 at the young age of 47 after a courageous battle with cancer was a sad loss to the team, his family and indeed a whole community. Moroccan-Canadians Saad Radi and Ali Chioua also deserve recognition for their long service as skillful players, always comfortable on the ball. Ali also served more than capably in goal when needed. Off the field he is an accomplished chef, who has catered a number of CSSC off-field events including our 25th anniversary party.
Democracy, Self-Organization, and Blatant Nepotism in the Team Selection
Diversity was mixed with homogeneity in the form of family. John Loxley’s older son Salim played with us and his father for several years before waving Winnipeg and Canada good by. More recently, younger sister Raina has made several guest appearances; a defender whose slender physique fooled many a cocky striker, who discovered too late that the lady was not for turning. Matthew Loxley has frequently been borrowed from the Juvenile ranks, and served in the midfield with distinction. John’s brother also made some guest appearances during visits to Canada from England. Pete Ferris’ son Mark, although living across the Atlantic managed a few summers as a player with CSSC. Centre back Jason Noordman was brought into the team by his uncle Bruce Sewart, while another nephew, Cody, has made periodic guest appearances. Matt Dryburgh, who has played a key role as a terrier-like, speedy defenceman, is the son of the late Bruce Dryburgh, also a defenceman, famed for his massive one-time volleyed clearances. At different times all three of the Stambrook brothers, Michael, David and Andy served on the team. Apart from taking time out for (gasp) cricket, Mike Davies has overlapped with brother Dan (iceman in front of net when he wasn’t being called for offside), now lost to Regina. Premier League fullback Dylan Davies also played for one year before succumbing to a serious injury. Ali`s son Zak has has been one of CSSC's more deadly strikers since joining in 2011. Pete Hudson’s three sons have all played for the team - for several years all at the same time as Pete. Brett has now left Winnipeg for good. Mark has recently returned to Winnipeg and the team after 10 years away. Ian left only for a brief three years, apart from which time he has played just about every position in the field since he was 14, currently serving as the engine room in centre midfield. Pete hung up his competitive cleats (really this time) in 2005. He was praised at his farewell, not for his soccer prowess, but for co-producing 3 players who could actually play the game.
Throughout CSSC’s (at time of writing) 36 year history, the team has striven to maintain its traditions. This was at its most evident when Peter Ferris had his leg broken in 1979 as a result of a particularly vicious tackle from an opponent. This led to a winter of soul searching, culminating in CSSC taking a lead role in reconstituting the Winnipeg Soccer League in 1980 as a recreational league founded on the principles of sportsmanship, fairness and friendship within and between teams. This was achieved through a democratic self-governing structure with each team represented, and where these principles were frequently discussed and communicated to the player level. There were also some more obvious features of the WSL which identified it as a recreational league. Unlimited substitutions were possible with referee discretion to prevent abuse. This enables players who were a bit older to take a break while still able to return to the game. Larger rosters than available in the other leagues were also instituted. This again enables people to enjoy the game who for work or family reasons are unable to make a season long commitment. A feature added later (1986) was the guest player allowance which enables, for example, family members or formal juveniles who had a historical relationship with the team, to move to a higher level of play, while retaining their ties to the recreational team and league. The test case for this change in the constitution was Ian Hudson who had played with CSSC as a very young teenager, but who later played a major role in assisting CSSC to its first league cup while also playing for a premier division team in the MMSL. Ian’s status was challenged by the coach of Stonewall – a co-founder of the WSL and with which CSSC had a long standing and (usually) friendly rivalry – who was also President of the WSL. Debate was 50/50 on the matter. The tie breaker came with the son of the President (Stonewall’s goalie) voting against his father in favour of the guest player rule. CSSC was not the only team with a familial tradition. We may have been the only team, however, which has never had a coach, and whose substitutions have always been self-regulated – an absence of structure which has worked more or less satisfactorily through the years.
Throughout CSSC’s (at time of writing) 36 year history, the team has striven to maintain its traditions. This was at its most evident when Peter Ferris had his leg broken in 1979 as a result of a particularly vicious tackle from an opponent. This led to a winter of soul searching, culminating in CSSC taking a lead role in reconstituting the Winnipeg Soccer League in 1980 as a recreational league founded on the principles of sportsmanship, fairness and friendship within and between teams. This was achieved through a democratic self-governing structure with each team represented, and where these principles were frequently discussed and communicated to the player level. There were also some more obvious features of the WSL which identified it as a recreational league. Unlimited substitutions were possible with referee discretion to prevent abuse. This enables players who were a bit older to take a break while still able to return to the game. Larger rosters than available in the other leagues were also instituted. This again enables people to enjoy the game who for work or family reasons are unable to make a season long commitment. A feature added later (1986) was the guest player allowance which enables, for example, family members or formal juveniles who had a historical relationship with the team, to move to a higher level of play, while retaining their ties to the recreational team and league. The test case for this change in the constitution was Ian Hudson who had played with CSSC as a very young teenager, but who later played a major role in assisting CSSC to its first league cup while also playing for a premier division team in the MMSL. Ian’s status was challenged by the coach of Stonewall – a co-founder of the WSL and with which CSSC had a long standing and (usually) friendly rivalry – who was also President of the WSL. Debate was 50/50 on the matter. The tie breaker came with the son of the President (Stonewall’s goalie) voting against his father in favour of the guest player rule. CSSC was not the only team with a familial tradition. We may have been the only team, however, which has never had a coach, and whose substitutions have always been self-regulated – an absence of structure which has worked more or less satisfactorily through the years.
Mutual Aid
But to characterize CSSC as a team upholding the principles of fair play is only to scratch the surface. At the team’s 25th anniversary party, Sue Hudson spoke eloquently of the importance that the team has played in the lives of so many. She said that we had created more than a mere soccer team. We had created a village; one which featured a system of mutual aid and support. One interesting negative illustration of the significance of the team to those whose lives became entwined with it, has been the sequel to the expulsion from the team of Michael Decter mentioned earlier. The event was not just shrugged off by the excommunicated one. No less than twice in print, Michael presented a distorted version of the event; once in the satirical magazine Frank, and later in his memoirs. The latter has been described as a particularly sad tome in which the author relates how loved and admired he has been by the rich and famous, and how therefore, his dismissal from CSSC must have been a huge injustice. On the more positive side, the team has always been well represented at important milestones in each others lives – the happy ones like marriages and book launches as well as the sad ones like funerals and departures. When Pete Ferris’ leg was broken he had just started a major painting project. The team rallied and saw the project through to completion under the supervision of a reclining Pete. Our artisan skills were not even as practiced as our soccer skills, so there were some patchy results gracefully overlooked by Pete. John Loxley, an internationally respected economist, is the author of several books, all of which acknowledge in the Preface, the contribution of CSSC to his intellectual and physical development. Job creation and/or referral has always been an important example of mutual aid and John has also contributed to the survival of many younger players hiring them as research assistants, and in one case a project in Africa, timed so that the player in question returned in time for the soccer season. The number of times that team members, most of whom in their work lives, or just as citizens, are deeply embedded in the community and many of its networks, have consulted with other team members around issues of employment, romance, divorce, visas, sources of grants and assorted related matters are countless.
Sometimes this even took the form of a high risk rehabilitation project, one notable example of which was John Lockyer. John defies all labeling. He was a very intelligent man with advanced views on sexuality and democracy. But he also suffered from, and/or embraced, a variety of addictions. One weekend morning game, he showed up dressed to play accompanied by a bottle of Southern Comfort already half consumed. He fell fast asleep on the sideline for the first half. Awakening at half time, and fortifying himself with a few more generous swigs from his bottle, somewhere around the 70th. minute in a tied game, he insisted on wobbling onto the field in substitution for a player who had been posing some challenges for the opposition. The game was lost. John was a peripatetic who would disappear from view for extended periods. His philosophy of work was, to say the least, liberal, but he did have to succumb to its demands from time to time. No less than three members of the team hired or arranged for him to be hired when his need became pressing. Results were mixed, but in the final analysis, we had to admit that rehabilitation was not on. This conclusion was not unreasonably reached when winger Saul Schubert, then Deputy Minister of Housing, took a chance on John. His habit of reporting for work, about a half hour before everyone else was finishing for the day, placed Saul’s judgment in question in the eyes of his staff. John’s contract was not renewed by mutual consent on its expiry, and Saul was relieved of his daily worry about John’s attendance (although his performance during his brief appearances was without fault). John disappeared from the team and Winnipeg nearly twenty years ago without formalities. He was last sighted a few years ago in Vancouver by Pete Ferris, who had moved to that same city, looking every bit the undernourished waif and stray which has been his trademark. An invitation to supper that same evening extended by Peter was seemingly gratefully accepted, but John was a no show. Nobody has heard of or seen him since. Despite his somewhat less than starry performances on the field, we still miss this interesting and sensitive man – an incisive and amusing commentator on life and living, and all round good company.
Sometimes this even took the form of a high risk rehabilitation project, one notable example of which was John Lockyer. John defies all labeling. He was a very intelligent man with advanced views on sexuality and democracy. But he also suffered from, and/or embraced, a variety of addictions. One weekend morning game, he showed up dressed to play accompanied by a bottle of Southern Comfort already half consumed. He fell fast asleep on the sideline for the first half. Awakening at half time, and fortifying himself with a few more generous swigs from his bottle, somewhere around the 70th. minute in a tied game, he insisted on wobbling onto the field in substitution for a player who had been posing some challenges for the opposition. The game was lost. John was a peripatetic who would disappear from view for extended periods. His philosophy of work was, to say the least, liberal, but he did have to succumb to its demands from time to time. No less than three members of the team hired or arranged for him to be hired when his need became pressing. Results were mixed, but in the final analysis, we had to admit that rehabilitation was not on. This conclusion was not unreasonably reached when winger Saul Schubert, then Deputy Minister of Housing, took a chance on John. His habit of reporting for work, about a half hour before everyone else was finishing for the day, placed Saul’s judgment in question in the eyes of his staff. John’s contract was not renewed by mutual consent on its expiry, and Saul was relieved of his daily worry about John’s attendance (although his performance during his brief appearances was without fault). John disappeared from the team and Winnipeg nearly twenty years ago without formalities. He was last sighted a few years ago in Vancouver by Pete Ferris, who had moved to that same city, looking every bit the undernourished waif and stray which has been his trademark. An invitation to supper that same evening extended by Peter was seemingly gratefully accepted, but John was a no show. Nobody has heard of or seen him since. Despite his somewhat less than starry performances on the field, we still miss this interesting and sensitive man – an incisive and amusing commentator on life and living, and all round good company.
The Sabesky Incident
In its 36 years to date CSSC has probably played around 700 games. (Nobody is counting the cumulative win loss record). There is also probably some noteworthy incident for most of these, remembered by someone. The one narrated in this history is chosen for its truly one-off status. Full back, Ivan Sabesky lost his whole arm in a childhood farm accident. The artificial replacement, secured to his body with straps, often has been put to good use on the field literally strait-arming opponents. On this occasion Ivan had the ball at his feet, and an opponent, going for it, put his shoulder in. Ivan’s arm was dislodged, and dangled in the grass held by the loosened straps, the function of which was hidden in Ivan’s sleeve. A fan voice from the sidelines was heard to say in a totally matter of fact tone “Oh! Ivan’s arm’s fallen off”. The offending player was not so calm. His summer tan turned white, his mouth fell open and he stopped as though a whistle had gone, although the ref. was too stunned to blow it. The other 10 players on the opposing team went into a similar shock and Ivan ran the length of the field, his arm dragging behind him. He put the ball past a goalie rooted to the ground. Ivan scored only one other goal in 35 years with the team - a rocket into the corner of his own net.
Pints
The Aberdeen Hotel. It never looked so salubrious.
No history of CSSC would be complete without mention of the Aberdeen. The Aberdeen was the team’s watering hole for many a year. It was centrally located downtown on Carlton, near Graham: a stale-beer-smelling old timey place, with shabby leather upholstery, but much more intimate than the barn-like sports bars. There we could debrief the game, knock back the three free bottles of Labatt`s Classic that the owner provided each of us, enquire about each others’ wellbeing, and discuss the politics of the day. It was literally home to many of its clientele, mostly single men, who used to descend from their rooms in the evening for a beer and some companionship. We were always warmly welcomed by these imbibers, many of whom had interesting stories to tell, as well as a friendly staff and a barber shop quartet that met there at the same time as us and punctuated the proceedings with some fine singing. It was here that the famous team meeting was held that ended with an excommunication – well nearly ended. The actual ending was the angry pouring of a glass of beer onto John Loxley’s crotch area, which the waitress of the evening was only too happy to attempt to wipe off. It was a shock when its closure was announced, especially since most of the upstairs rooms were occupied, and the pub was doing a decent nightly trade. Perhaps it was the three free beers that did it in! It was also a loss to the city since the external architecture was attractive. However, the city has never been one to stand in the way of the pursuit of greater profit, so permission was granted to make way for the wrecking ball in 1995 (?). The last night and wake was well attended by the team and other regulars. It was a worthy wind up leaving the team with three memorabilia. One was a very heavy table, removed with the aid of adrenalin and alcohol, and reputedly now housed in John Loxley’s basement. The second is a painting of the exterior done by Colin Kinsella’s talented artist mother, Mary. This currently hangs in Colin’s house. For Colin it might be a reminder of the fancy taken towards him by the last-night waitress who insisted on displaying her affection in rather physical fashion. Another of the same scene was also painted by Mary. This version was given to John Loxley by the team on one of his many life milestones, and is prominently displayed in his entrance hallway. The third is a video of the whole evening, shot by Salim Loxley. It has received only one private showing and was never generally released for fear of giving offence to spouses and other significant others. Its current whereabouts is unknown. The team is fortunate to see veteran midfielder Nic Zifferelli choose CSSC in his return to the game – fortunate not just because Nic brings his experience onto the field, but also because he is the proprietor of Niccolinos. Despite the far southern location, “Nic’s” hospitality and large TV screen has periodically helped the older timers to forget the Aberdeen and get on with their lives.
Supporters
CSSC supporters Sue Hudson (left) and Aurelie Mogan (right) endure another gale on the sidelines.
CSSC has never depended on a large fan base to cheer it on to victory, which is just as well since it never had one. But there were some notable exceptions. There is a dim memory of female groupies for the first few years of league play. No one knows who they were, where they came from or when and to where they disappeared. Mixed in with them was one Nelson Wiseman, a colleague and friend of some of the team who showed up for several summers in a variety of exotic old convertible limos and who took us for beer and pickled eggs to the transvestite pub, The Mount Royal, owned by his father Why he kept coming was a bit of mystery since he complained frequently that the tension aggravated his ulcers which accompanied him around much like some people’s small pet dog. There is no doubt that he would still be on the sidelines, painfully clutching his abdominal region, had he not left town to take an academic position at the University of Toronto. A political scientist, he is the author of several books including one on the Shreyer Manitoba NDP years. Dave Steen (currently ED of the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities), who was limited to a sideline role by virtue of being a victim of childhood polio, served as President for several years. (This was an honorary position since CSSC has never had an organizational structure, leaning towards anarchic forms of decision-making. Reference is frequently made to a Central Committee to which no one will confess membership, and whose very existence remains a subject of debate). Most of the truly long-term fans have been spouses. Among that category, Sue Hudson, Aurelie Mogan, and Silvia Hidara cannot go unnoticed. Not only is their frequent attendance at fixtures (sunny evenings preferred) noteworthy, but they, along with many other partners contributed by postponing wedding anniversaries and other such important dates on the family calendar whenever they clashed with a match (which according to their account was several times a year) as well as working holiday dates and so forth around the season’s soccer schedule.
Struggles, past and ongoing
This photo brings back troubled memories for some of the squad's veterans, as it features the worst jerseys in the team's history. They were the result of a discount purchase from Morocco brokered by Hidara. "You've never felt such itching," reported Dan Davies, archivist and somnambulist (top, third from left). Top, from left: Sal Hidara, Bill Kitson, Dan Davies, Bruce Sewart, ?, Alan Barber, Gord Orlikow,?. Bottom from left: Alan Mills, Andy Stambrook, Mike Davies, Peter Ferris, John Lockyer, John Loxley, ?.
It has not always been sweetness and light. Striker Laurie Steen was red carded for using the f-word against a team mate who was not performing up to Laurie’s standards. Another, who was much too frequently the subject of the referee’s attentions, and therefore some cautionary words from others on the team, had to be restrained from fisticuffs directed against another team member who, in the after-match pub, was dancing too intimately (in the former’s eyes) with the pugilists girl friend. This same person jumped on a table at half time in a televised game against a left Chilean team, celebrating their national day, demanding to play in the second half. Peter Ferris stepped aside to allow that, but returned when the complainant broke his ankle in an irregularity in the turf about five minutes into the restart.
Sometimes falling short of our ideals went beyond the behaviour of individual players. One year, in the mid-80’s, CSSC had too many players wanting to play. The aspirants who we didn’t register were all friends who had little to offer on the field. It was probably true that some of those who were registered had a lesser claim to friendship and a greater claim to soccer skills; hence the charge of elitism that was leveled at the time. But the team had come a long way since 1975 in terms of its level of play. And today, long gone are the days when half the team would be dragging on a smoke at half time while the opposition noshed down their energy giving oranges. In those early days, more than a couple were serious users of mood altering substances and weren’t 90 minute players to say the least. But the advent of a much classier team was not just about cleaner living. Long standing players have gratifyingly become not just more intelligent, but also more skillful and even more energetic as they have aged with the team – stalwarts such as Colin Kinsella, Bruce Sewart, Stefan Fischer, and Rick Penner, come to mind among several others. The team has also experienced periodic renewals with an eye to political leanings and friendship indeed, but with a serious attempt to combine those characteristics with a contribution to be made on the field. We are particularly happy with four new signings in this 2011 season of young people, yes whose considerable talent is more than welcome, but who are also people who we think share the team’s traditions of sportsmanship, respect for others, our world view and solidarity.
Recent compromises were not of the team’s making. In 2010, the MMSL merged the WSL into its divisional structure, for reasons which likely had more to do with wanting to control what they considered to be a rogue league than the flimsy reasons given. The guest player rule has already disappeared. Now playing in Div. 5-A of the MMSL, the league has retained its name, a 25 person roster, and unlimited substitutions for now. The next few years will tell us if we need to attempt another breakaway in order to protect our traditions. We also need to strive, fall short though we often may, to maintain solidarity with each other and also with those fellow citizens who work for a better world – one in which soccer has a prominent, although not exclusive, place.
Sometimes falling short of our ideals went beyond the behaviour of individual players. One year, in the mid-80’s, CSSC had too many players wanting to play. The aspirants who we didn’t register were all friends who had little to offer on the field. It was probably true that some of those who were registered had a lesser claim to friendship and a greater claim to soccer skills; hence the charge of elitism that was leveled at the time. But the team had come a long way since 1975 in terms of its level of play. And today, long gone are the days when half the team would be dragging on a smoke at half time while the opposition noshed down their energy giving oranges. In those early days, more than a couple were serious users of mood altering substances and weren’t 90 minute players to say the least. But the advent of a much classier team was not just about cleaner living. Long standing players have gratifyingly become not just more intelligent, but also more skillful and even more energetic as they have aged with the team – stalwarts such as Colin Kinsella, Bruce Sewart, Stefan Fischer, and Rick Penner, come to mind among several others. The team has also experienced periodic renewals with an eye to political leanings and friendship indeed, but with a serious attempt to combine those characteristics with a contribution to be made on the field. We are particularly happy with four new signings in this 2011 season of young people, yes whose considerable talent is more than welcome, but who are also people who we think share the team’s traditions of sportsmanship, respect for others, our world view and solidarity.
Recent compromises were not of the team’s making. In 2010, the MMSL merged the WSL into its divisional structure, for reasons which likely had more to do with wanting to control what they considered to be a rogue league than the flimsy reasons given. The guest player rule has already disappeared. Now playing in Div. 5-A of the MMSL, the league has retained its name, a 25 person roster, and unlimited substitutions for now. The next few years will tell us if we need to attempt another breakaway in order to protect our traditions. We also need to strive, fall short though we often may, to maintain solidarity with each other and also with those fellow citizens who work for a better world – one in which soccer has a prominent, although not exclusive, place.