The National Football League (NFL) has named local veterinarian and volunteer coach Bruce Waddell as the 2009 The Home Depot NFL Youth Coach of the Year. The football program based at Shoal Lake School, in southwestern Manitoba's Parkwest School Division (where Waddell is coach) will receive $5,000 in new football equipment as well as a $1,000 The Home Depot gift card for football related renovation projects such as field repair, fixing bleachers, painting locker rooms, etc. Team Depot, The Home Depot's associate volunteer force, will also be available to offer hands-on support for the projects.
Waddell was selected from a shortlist of ten community and high school coaches from across Canada to receive the honour. In total, more than 500 coaches from across Canada were nominated for the award. Football players, volunteers, fans, administrators and fellow coaches submitted short essays recognizing the positive impact a youth football coach has had in their community. Nominators were asked to consider how their coach taught respect, safety, motivation, leadership and appreciation for the game of football when drafting their nominations. A panel of journalists, NFL officials and The Home Depot representatives selected the winner.
Fellow Manitoban Geordie Wilson, of the Manitoba Minor Football Association's Charleswood Broncos, and Manotick, Ontario's Paul Brown, a coach at St. Mark High School (near Ottawa), were named runners-up and will each receive $2,000 in equipment and a $500 gift card.
Over the past eleven years the program has contributed more than $130,000 in equipment and facility upgrades to deserving programs, and put the spotlight on the grassroots-level coaches who are the backbone of football in Canada.