After years of building chemistry and community, a tight-knit soccer team from North Battleford will soon step onto the field wearing the red and white.
The North Battleford Spurs — a team built on years of friendship, resilience and love for the game — will compete under the Canadian flag at the multicultural tournament over the May long weekend.
“We’re all proud to be Canadian,” said player and manager Ivan Sopka, who moved to Canada from Serbia 17 years ago.
“We would like to go and try to represent Team Canada and win the tournament. We’re not just going there just to try.”
Sopka became a Canadian citizen more than a decade ago, and many of his teammates also trace their roots to Serbia. Their decision to represent Canada, he said, reflects both pride and gratitude.
“We’re happy to be here and we would like to represent… especially with what’s going on with the world — so much uncertainty and so many talks about this and that,” he said.
The team’s core has stayed intact for years, thanks in part to players like Jesse Ricardo Navarro. He was part of the group decades ago, even before it was named the Spurs, and helped many of today’s players get their start.
“I used to coach Ivan [Sopka] at John Paul II Collegiate and I could see that he had potential and our team needed players,” said Navarro. “We brought him in and now he is basically the beacon of strength for our soccer team.”
Jesse Ricardo Navarro (L) and Ivan Sopka (R) . (submitted/Jesse Ricardo Navarro)Navarro hopes the Spurs’ journey can help reshape perceptions of their hometown.
“Our nickname in North Battleford is crime town but it doesn’t have to be like that,” he said. “If we can reach out and show other people in our community that we are working hard behind the scenes to eliminate that stigma, then hopefully other people can catch on and reach to fill their potential as well.”
He describes the team as more of a family, a bond that has carried them through personal struggles and inspired them to lead by example for younger players.
“I would like to see our team and our effort and our opportunity here as a way to unite other people in North Battleford to let them know ‘Hey, we don’t have to just play intramurals or provincials if you really want, you can go all the way, and if you take a chance, you might even have the ability to represent your country at the World Cup,’ ” Navarro said.
“Anything is possible if you stay diligent and put hard work in and that’s what my team has been doing for like 15 years straight.”
To help with tournament expenses, the team hosted a steak night fundraiser on May 3 at The Blend Kitchen and Bar, with support from local businesses including Battlefront Furniture. Navarro said the event quickly surpassed expectations.
“We’ve had some ticket sales for our fundraiser and we’ve gone beyond,” said Navarro. “We’ve had to print off more tickets than we had thought we could even get out.”
Any extra funds will be donated to the Battlefords Boys and Girls Club, he added.
Some of the trophies Spurs has won throughout the year. (submitted/ Jesse Ricardo Navarro)Players have continued training at the Fieldhouse and through solo workouts, with plans to ramp up ahead of the tournament.
“We think we might step that up to two or three [training] sessions a week here before the World Cup,” Sopka noted.
The Spurs are no strangers to high-level competition, having won the January Chill tournament in Saskatoon in 2023 and finishing second in several others.
A picture of the team from early years. (submitted/ Jesse Ricardo Navarro)Now, they’ll take the field not only as teammates, but as symbols of local pride.
“Canada right now is looking almost like the United States. It’s very polarized,” Navarro said.
“This is an opportunity for a small town to get behind what really matters and that’s patriotism, be happy, be happy to be a Canadian. It’s not a gloomy story and there’s always a Cinderella story waiting around every corner.”
“And right now, I believe we are that Cinderella story.”
The Saskatoon World Cup runs May 16 to 19 at the Saskatoon Soccer Centre.
The Spurs held a steak night fundraiser on May 6 at the Blend to help cover the costs of representing Canada at the Saskatoon World Cup.—
Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com
