By Ottawa Sports Pages, for Nepean Nighthawks Field Hockey Club
Growing up in Barrhaven, Brendan Goddard didn’t have a particularly strong attachment to his family’s Indigenous roots.
And when he joined the Nepean Nighthawks at age 9, he certainly never imagined that his field hockey club would one day help him regain that link in a new, powerful way.
“My great grandmother was in a residential school, taken away from her family, off the reserve,” recounts Goddard, whose mother is Ojibwe. “And then my grandma wasn’t really taught any traditional Indigenous practices.”
Now serving as the Nighthawks’ club head coach, Goddard is playing a lead role in Nepean’s Stick Together program, which offers free registration, equipment and transportation for local Indigenous youth.
The initiative helped inspire Goddard to research more about Indigenous history, and the Aboriginal Coaching Module training he completed with other club coaches deepened his understanding of Indigenous culture, values and lifestyles. That’s been further enhanced by the relationships he’s gained through his interactions with Indigenous players and their families.
“It’s pretty neat. I’m the one who’s instructing them on the field, but I’m also learning from them at the same time,” highlights the Algonquin College electrical engineering technician graduate. “It’s really great to see that we’re able to bring all these Indigenous kids in to play, and learning about their culture, and having their culture as part of our field hockey community.”
Stick Together was developed in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call-to-action to reduce sport participation barriers. The program started with a dozen players in fall 2022 and more than doubled come the 2024 season. It’s now set to grow further thanks to a Community Development Grant from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, which has allowed the Nighthawks to clear the waitlist for the program and offer ongoing support to participating players.
“It’s terrible to see that kids don’t have money for shoes or a way to get to the field,” Goddard notes. “It was really tough seeing kids who you knew wanted to play, and they couldn’t make it because they couldn’t get funding. But it’s awesome that we’re now able to give them that opportunity.”
Close field hockey community growing closer
Goddard played for both Ontario and Quebec at national championships during his youth. He was invited to play for Canada at a Junior World Cup, but he had to decline because the trip was going to be self-funded. He did attend a tournament in France, however, as a member of a Canadian junior development team.
“It was just kind of unreal getting to travel to France and seeing that high level of sport,” recalls the St. Joseph Catholic High School grad who played volleyball, cross-country running, baseball, ultimate and ice hockey for the Jaguars.
“It’s so much different than playing in your community level – just the discipline, the diet, the fitness you gotta do, and just how serious and fast-paced it is,” he adds. “Everyone on the field now is just as good as you. You’re no longer a standout player, so it’s kind of humbling, but it also makes you such a better all-around player.”
After loving his experience as a coach in a minor hockey initiation program with the Nepean Raiders, where he played competitively himself, Goddard began training Nighthawks athletes over four years ago.
Since becoming head coach this season, he’s gained a greater appreciation for all the work done in the background that wouldn’t be evident when looking at the program in action. It’s also added to his enjoyment of the moments he spends coaching young players and playing for Nepean’s men’s team.
“The biggest thing about field hockey is it’s such a small community, and you really grow close,” Goddard signals. “If you look at our adult program now, it’s all players who have played together since they were like 10 to 14, and they’re still all playing together and still hanging out outside the sport.”
Nighthawks are national leaders for Stick Together
The Nighthawks have worked alongside local First Nations, Indigenous family service centres, schools, Indigenous coaches and others to spread the word about Stick Together, which is one of roughly 30 across the country.
The Nighthawks are home to Canada’s biggest program, and they’ve shared their experiences with others getting started. The club is also developing a website that will provide resources and help all Stick Together programs connect.
“Seeing the impact that this program can bring to all these communities across Canada is pretty unbelievable,” says Goddard. “I hope that all kids across Canada would be able to experience sport like this.”
Team Canada goalkeeper Rowan Harris, a past Nighthawk, has been involved in the delivery of Stick Together programming on the west coast where the national team is based.
“It’s amazing to see someone from Nepean, played field hockey just like us, and now representing Canada, and what she’s able to do off the field because of it,” Goddard indicates.
Goddard says that getting to travel together for road tournaments is among the best experiences in field hockey. At a recent competition in Kingston, a majority of the Nighthawks’ U12 team members were Indigenous players.
The club set out hoping to provide a positive sports experience for participants, but Stick Together has delivered much more. It’s enhanced coaching development and the club’s own community and culture, and parents of Stick Together players have shared that field hockey has become one of the only places their kids meet other Indigenous kids.
Goddard has noticed friendships form between the Indigenous players who share rides to get to practices and games, but the sense of unity extends to all the Nighthawks.
“They’ve all definitely grown together,” he underlines. “Whether they’re Stick Together kids or just kids signing up for the Nighthawks, they seem to all get along really well.
“Just seeing those bonds get built is the best. That’s honestly my favourite part about coaching.”
Learn more about the Nepean Nighthawks here and about the Stick Together program here.