The Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club began in 1967 when Marino Sedran and Gordon Hawkins took a team of 11 and 12-year-old Calgary boys to represent the province of Alberta at an Expo 67 soccer competition in Montreal. On their return, the team took the name of a defunct Canadian Junior Football team, the “North Hill Blizzards,” and was remodeled around six of the original players. Sedran and Hawkins coached basically the same group of boys, moving up as the players’ ages changed. They played in a league against other Northwest Calgary teams, which included Montgomery, Highwood, and University Heights. From 1967 to 1977, the team won its way to the National Championships three times and captured the National title in 1971 as the top Juvenile Team in Canada.
By the mid 70s, the Northwest communities needed somewhere for their growing numbers of graduating pee wees and older boys to play. Gary Burkholder, soccer coordinator for Brentwood, and Kermit Newman, soccer coordinator for Triwood, helped fulfill this need along with Sedran, Hawkins, and several other soccer enthusiasts, by developing the idea of a Northwest Zone Club to handle soccer activities from Bantam level and up.
The Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club was registered as a Society in the Province of Alberta on March 14, 1977. As one the oldest amateur sporting clubs in the history of Calgary, the three teams of that year have grown exponentially, and in 2016 the club entered 75 teams for both boys and girls into the CMSA outdoor season.
1967 Blizzard Award Winners 1967 Blizzard Team Blizzard 1967 off to Montreal Expo 1969 Blizzard Team Blizzard in the 70s Early 70s Blizzard in the 80s Blizzard in the 80s 1985 Scrapbook History
In June 2017 Blizzard celebrated the Club’s 50th Anniversary. A big thank you to all our sponsors and those who attended and made our celebrations a success. We were thrilled to have Jason deVos, Director of Development of Canada Soccer as our guest speaker. Jason updated us on some exciting initiatives at Canada Soccer including the introduction of the Canadian Premier League, to begin next year. He also focused his message on the importance of creating a system of development that celebrates the success of our kids and puts their needs first.
Thank you to Mark Livingstone and Mary Jo Spence, our dedicated Blizzard board members for putting on a successful and enjoyable evening!
