Canada Trip, 1974

Canada trip, 1974

A party of 34 boys and five officials from St Gregory’s flew from Manchester (Ringway) Airport to Canada on 4th August 1974 for a three-week stay, during which they played a number of football matches against Canadian club teams in various centres. The main purpose of the trip was educational, but the school had planned seven soccer matches against local amateur sides. The trip, first mooted two years earlier, finally got under way following a series of disappointments and setbacks in its planning and preparation and was a reward for remarkable patience, persistence and hard work.

Dan Tranter, teacher and principal organiser of the trip, had originally managed to find a Catholic school in Hamilton, Ontario, which was keen to offer accommodation for the party in return for a reciprocal visit to England the following year.

But six months later the Canadian school pulled out because the state’s school board turned down, without explanation, their request for the arrangement to be approved.

There seemed nothing for it but to cancel the trip. But arrangements were so far advanced it could not be easily scrapped.

“To cancel it would have been a tremendous disappointment,” said Mr Tranter at the time.

So, he decided to fly to Canada himself at Easter, 1974, to help rescue the trip. His hectic visit was so successful that he managed to arrange for a three-week stay in three different parts of Ontario. 

Mr Tranter said: “A Catholic club at Scarborough, Toronto, were marvellous to me. They suggested I put our case on TV, which I did. The response was magnificent.” The broadcast produced offers from families willing to accommodate the party.

Then inflation, triggered by the oil crisis of 1973, overtook the original ceiling of £100 per pupil, which was to include air fares, passports, insurance and football strip.

Another blow was the reduction in the size of the party, as many of the original party of 60 who planned to go on the trip dropped out for financial reasons, including some boys who were good footballers and played for the school team. But the remaining 35 went on with their arrangements. One pupil – sixth-former, Peter Selley – had travelled separately and arrived at Toronto Airport a few days after the main party and was collected by Mr Tranter, who had hired a car.

As well as being taken on trips by their host families, they were given four civic receptions. Mr Tranter, Fr Mitcheson, the school’s chaplain, and parents Mr B. Hewitt, Mr K. Perry and Mr A. Richter accompanied the pupils, ranging in age from 14 to 17. Mr M. O’Brien, teacher, who had intended to travel with the party, was unable to do so as was Mr B. Millward, a parent.

The cost of the tour – between £5,000 and £6,000 – was raised by concerts, functions, sponsored walks by the school, and savings. Another important income stream was in the collection and recycling of old newspapers and magazines, an activity which enabled all the lads to participate in and make a contribution. Even in the early Seventies, the school was aware of environmental issues and had begun to take the recycling of resources a little more seriously than previous generations. It should also be noted that some of the boys who had given of their time and energy to raise money for the trip had to withdraw from the original party.

The party was billeted with families in the St Catharine’s and Welland area between 5th and 10th August. The party then left for Scarborough on the outskirts of Toronto, staying in and around the Toronto area from 11th to 17th August. They then moved to Peterborough, staying there from 18th August until the return flight home on 25th August.

Bookmarks were given out to all the boys to give to their billet family hosts as a token of thanks for the hospitality afforded.

Many of the lads on the trip were mainly casual football players and some didn’t play at all. Those who played on the school team were probably in a minority.

In Canada, Minor Atoms was the name given to teams of under-10 years of age; Peewees were under-14/15, and Bantams were under-15/16. St Gregory’s fielded two teams: Peewees and Bantams.  Pennants and badges of clubs and associations were exchanged between the team captains before the kick-off for each match played, some examples of which are included here. On the occasion of attending civic receptions, the St Gregory’s school badge was embroidered and attached to blazers so that the boys were smartly dressed. As for the outcome of the matches played, the results were as follows: Peewee team played 6, won 3 and lost 3: Bantam team played 7, drew 4 and lost 3. In addition, a game was arranged against an Ontario/Toronto Provincial team in which Greg’s, fielding its strongest team from all the lads available from both age groups, narrowly lost 1-0.

In the matches played in Canada, the boys wore strips presented to them by Manchester City, Manchester United and Stoke City, whose manager Tony Waddington was an old boy of St Gregory’s.

Among the places visited of cultural and historic interest were Niagara Falls, Fort George, Ontario Science Exhibition, Toronto Island, and Scarborough Civic Centre for a reception given by the mayor of Scarborough, the centre having been officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. Also visited were the famous Lift Locks at Peterborough.

One of the memorable highlights of the trip was the participation of the boys in the procession through Toronto in the opening ceremony of the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) tournament. St Gregory’s, as guests of Ontario Youth Soccer, were given the privilege of walking in the parade directly behind the white Lincoln Continental car taking the legendary Brazilian footballer, Pele, to the stadium to officially open the tournament. What’s more, the boys were treated to watching the under-19 game between Canada and Bermuda in the presence of Pele.

The boys of St Gregory’s went on to complete an exciting and enjoyable soccer tour of Canada and were presented with a magnificent commemorative trophy, the Trillium Trophy, by the Niagara Peninsular Minor Soccer League. Throughout the trip the Canadian press, including The Ottawa Journal and The Saturday Citizen, published details of the visits and matches. The tour had provided lifelong memories.

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