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Proud to Bear the Flag BY FRANCESCA PACCHIANO Seeing a sport you love played live, with the crowd cheering around you, can be an inspiring moment for a youth athlete. For one south Nanaimo-based teen, this dream is becoming a reality. This summer, fourteen-year-old Veronica Brock – a youth athlete with the Nautsa’mawt Football Academy – will be flag bearer and ambassador at one of the FIFA World Cup games held in Vancouver. Veronica is from the Mohawk Nation and a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River. She has been playing for ten years and plans to keep playing as long as she can. “Definitely going as big as I can and as far as I can with it,” she said. For a fan of the sport, the opportunity to watch a FIFA game in-person is exciting, but it’s also a learning opportunity for her as a player. “I’m excited to see the different tactics, learn skills and watch professionals. That’ll be so fun.” Veronica is one of four athletes chosen from across the province and has been selected for the July 7th game. The game is particularly exciting because it is a knockout game. [E1.1]At the match, Veronica and a fellow youth athlete will carry the flags of the playing teams out onto the field, mingle with the players and watch the game. Her family is incredibly proud of her – especially her grandfather, Ron Brock, who watches all of her games. “It’s
been an incredible thing to watch her,” he said. “She’s got talent out of the yinyang, and I really kind of have to control myself sometimes ’cause I’m an awfully proud papa.” The Nautsa’mawt Football Academy pairs Indigenous youth soccer players with a diverse selection of coaches, mentors and experienced players to help shape the success of the players. Veronica says she has thrived under this system, learning different “skills and ways to look at the physical [game], mental mindset – all that – to know where you’re going and what you need.” The last two years have been particularly impactful for her development as a player. Through the Nautsa’mawt Football Academy programs, she’s attended the Sinclair Soccer Summit and went on a ten-day Europe trip to watch Real Madrid and Manchester United with other athletes from across the province. The pursuit of soccer is a familial legacy for Veronica, as both her aunt Nikki and her mother, Angelina, were avid soccer players. Even Veronica’s little sister is following in her footsteps. The connection between her family and the greater community has empowered Veronica as she grows in the sport. Now that she’s benefitted from these teachings, Veronica wants to share them with the next generation. “It’s about giving back to your community too,” said Nikki Brock, Veronica’s aunt. It was through Nikki’s work connections with Hope and Health BC Soccer Association that Veronica joined the association and through them, the Nautsa’mawt Football Academy. This summer, Veronica is sharing the lessons and skills she’s learned with younger students, mentoring and coaching them. Her grandmother Dallas spoke about the model the Football Academy offers, where Veronica, now an experienced player, can start giving back to kids who are just starting
JUNE 2026
Veronica Brock will be flag bearer and ambassador at one of the FIFA World Cup games. Photo: Francesca Pacchiano
out. “[Nautsa’mawt] offers a summer camp in the middle of July,” said Dallas. “They’re hiring students like Veronica to go in and train five and six year olds.” Ultimately, soccer is an opportunity to build skills and spend time in community. Veronica is looking forward to watching the game and the opportunity to participate on the world stage. When it comes to playing soccer herself, Veronica has a clear goal in mind: “Trying your best to get where you want to go and having the right mindset to get to it.”