Football teams compete again in Mexico
Jun 07, 2017 by Iain Colpitts Mississauga News
The Mississauga Indoor Football Association (MIFA) sent a women’s team along with its men’s squad to compete in an international exhibition game against Mexico’s LEXFA in Cancun in May. – Paola Tijerina photo
It was another successful trip to Mexico as far as Liston Bates is concerned.
As program co-ordinator of the Mississauga Indoor Football Association (MIFA), he led the charge in organizing a set of exhibition games in Cancun for a second straight year in early May.
It’s held in collaboration with a similar football program in Mexico called LEXFA.
Like last year, a semi-professional men’s game was played, but Bates was anxiously anticipating the new women’s game for this year and says it was a hit, despite MIFA’s loss on the scoreboard.
“These women that we played against have been playing for five years,” he said. “Their quarterback is an automatic standout. She’s a stud. Her footwork was impeccable and for us just to compete against her was a challenge on its own.”
MIFA’s men team was victorious and both Mississauga teams will play the Mexican squad again when they come to Canada over the Labour Day weekend.
Bates added that Mexico’s quarterback, Ana Charos, was so strong that he’s invited her to Canada to train with him for a few weeks.
Although the women’s team was formed last year, Bates said some of his contacts in Mexico are interested in potentially having a women’s team from MIFA play in Mexico’s professional league, the FXL. Bates sees it being a pilot project at first.
Along with the Mexican-bound teams, Bates is a driving force behind the Oakville Longhorns semi-pro team, which features mostly MIFA players playing in the Northern Football Conference.
There are many other football and fitness programs Bates oversees at MIFA for participants of all ages, and he was happy to see them all on display recently when the Longhorns won their season opener on May 27.
“People can see our passion for the game and I think they just want to catch on,” Bates said.
“It was amazing at the Longhorns game, I had my MIFA Fit boot camp ladies in one section, my ladies football team in another. It’s just growing.”
For more information, visit mifafootball.com.