Game with Acadia practice roster scheduled for Oct. 1
After a week of talks and meetings, a deal has been made to see the Acadia Axemen face the Dalhousie Tigers in an exhibition football game on Oct. 1.
Due to the Moncton Junior Mustangs pulling out of the Atlantic Football League late last month, the Tigers were left trying to fill a hole on their schedule which was left unoccupied. Hoping to salvage their plans for a large alumni fundraiser organized to coincide with the Moncton game, the Tigers turned to their AUS counterparts at Acadia. The Axemen agreed to send their practice roster to play a game.
Jim Wilson, an executive member of the Dalhousie Football Club, was hard at work trying to get a deal done. “Out of adversity, we found an opportunity. And what started as a conversation between those of us around the team rapidly evolved into an exciting new frontier for our team.
“With our big lobster tailgate party planned, we had to make something happen and luckily we did,” said Wilson, “People at both schools were behind this from the start and it really picked up momentum the more we started to believe this could really happen.”
The Acadia Axemen are already scheduled to face the Saint Mary’s Huskies that same day, but instead of heading home following their afternoon contest Acadia’s practice players will head to Wickwire Field to face the Tigers.
The two teams had to examine AUS eligibility in this agreement, and the insurance of the players also came into question.
“We’re going to always look out for the well-being and best interest of the student athletes involved and we reached out to Football Nova Scotia to make sure the players were taken care of. Football Nova Scotia was extremely helpful and we were able to move ahead with the talks,” said Wilson.
The Tigers will open their season on Saturday, September 17th, against the UNB Saint John Sea Wolves, hoping to bounce back from the one-sided loss they were handed at last fall’s AFL final in Saint John.
To find out more about this matchup between the Tigers and Axemen, check out Friday’s edition of the Dalhousie Gazette. The extended article will include interviews with John MacDonald, Dalhousie Director of Athletics and Recreation, and the coaching staff.
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