Pacific FC sell Aboriginal-designed jersey worn for Langford opener – Victoria News

Pacific FC sold their new alternate jersey designed by an Indigenous artist within hours of its release.

The team launched the jerseys on April 10 and plans to use them at various times throughout the season. Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw artist Maynard Johnny Jr.’s design features a salmon and a child’s face, in a white and black pattern.

Johnny said the club approached him in part because of the work he has done with Hope and Health, an organization that promotes the health and wellbeing of indigenous youth.

“If salmon can survive predators like killer whales and the people who fish them, swim 3,000 miles and come back to where they were born and rejuvenate their species, their resilience is just amazing,” he said. . “I chose salmon because of that resilience. It kind of reflects on Indigenous peoples and how resilient we have been throughout Canadian history.

He was happy to see the jersey so well received by the community and hopes this is an opportunity for Pacific FC, its fans and other teams and leagues to learn more about reconciliation efforts.

“In order for us to move forward and heal, we need to understand what has been done. There has to be recognition, there has to be responsibility taken when something happens to someone for you to heal. It must happen. Being the first organized professional team to do something like this, it’s not a one-time, one-day or one-night stage.

The club sold 258 shirts at launch, completely sold out, and have 423 on pre-order for the next delivery.

“We are delighted with the response to this shirt as it is an important part of our work with local Indigenous communities and the more we sell the more money goes to charity. In addition to their rapid sale we have seen overwhelmingly positive response online from here to Europe and beyond,” Pacific FC Marketing Director Stephanie Wood said in an email.

From each sweater sale, $20 goes to two different charities chosen by Johnny: Hope and Health and the Indian Residential School Survivor Society.

He hopes more professional teams will follow Pacific FC’s lead and help raise awareness of the issues facing Indigenous people in Canada.

“Pay it forward and educate players and other teams who play in other organizations. This will continue to snowball and raise awareness of how reconciliation should be approached and how it should be executed. It is very important, especially because it is not the indigenous peoples who must reconcile, it is in fact Canada and the Church, the Catholic Church must reconcile what they have done.

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