(photo/ NFL.com/ca/forwardpass)

By Ryan Lambert

NFL Canada Foward Pass Initiative

NFL Canada announces the return of the Forward Pass initiative to support football programs across the country

Oct 29, 2025 | 1:13 PM

The forward pass initiative is coming back to Canada with the hope of bringing the sport to more people around the country. NFL Canada will be donating $25,000 to three football programs around the country. One from western Canada (B.C., Alta., Sask., MB, NT, YK, NU), Ontario, and Eastern Canada (QC, NS, PEI, NB, NL).

“Our goal is to continue investing in the growth of football in Canada and help remove barriers, making the sport more accessible to youth across the country,” NFL Canada general manager Gavin Kemp said.

Last year, the Western Canada recipient was the North Winnipeg Nomads football club. They used the grant to ensure that more kids could play football without the worry of financial stress. Nomads president Stacey Keown was incredibly grateful for the donation.

“The club provides out of pocket expenses replacing football equipment and covering fees for those who cannot afford them. We have upgraded our field, hosted more free camps and provided even more opportunities across the board.”

Battlefords Minor Football President Kevin Pinno talked about what they could potentially use the money for should they be nominated and selected for the grant.

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“It would mean a lot…It feels like there’s a rising cost for sport. We definitely have that with football. The biggest expense, especially for football, is helmets. Helmets expire every 10 years. That is an expense that has to get passed along to registration costs. There’s the maintenance cost. If this is something we want to do every single year, we have to be able to buy helmets when they’re starting to expire every year. For us thinking about moving forward, a big portion of that money would be going to equipment.”

Pinno also mentioned that the money could go towards player experiences. The program was supposed to take a bus to Prince Albert for a jamboree, but it was cancelled due to smoke in the area. Although cost wasn’t the reason it was cancelled, Pinno said that it is still a significant expense that the potential grant would help with.

The winner of the grant would receive a visit from the NFL, a tailgate, a cheque presentation as well as giveaways at the event.

The process includes an essay submission for a program to be nominated for the grant. The application deadline is Dec. 5.

People can submit their essay nominations here to put a program in contention for the grant. https://www.nfl.com/ca/forwardpassnominations/

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com