The Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation announced a donation of $590,000 to Football Saskatchewan to purchase 1,000 football helmets that will be distributed to more than 125 programs in the province (ID 372086127 © Tatsiana Kuryanovich | Dreamstime.com).

By Austin Mattes

Football Saskatchewan

Battlefords set to receive donation of helmets from Roughrider Foundation

Apr 8, 2025 | 10:48 AM

Last week, the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation announced a donation of $590,000 to Football Saskatchewan to purchase 1,000 football helmets that will be distributed to more than 125 programs in the province.

Of the programs selected, the Battlefords Minor Football Bucks, North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBCHS) Vikings and John Paul II Collegiate Crusaders were on the list.

The donation of the helmets comes as part of the $1.8 million initiative from the Roughrider Foundation that will use funds raised through the 50/50 at Riders games to give back to football programs in Saskatchewan

Even though the exact number of helmets the community will receive is still unknown, Volunteer President of the Football Saskatchewan Board of Directors, Mike Humenny said it will help all parties involved.

“It’s going to benefit all these groups, both high schools and then the minor football program as well. The number of helmets donated will be proportionate to the size of the program, so it’s not going to be a massive amount but the cost of a helmet is upwards of 500 bucks apiece and what a lot of people don’t know is that the life span of a helmet is 10 years, so it’ll make a big difference,” he said.

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Humenny added the donation will also help make football more affordable for people in the community.

“The costs for everything in football is going up and it’s another barrier to entry for some people. So, this will help keep costs down in general and make it a little bit easier for players and parents to afford to be able to play tackle football,” said Humenny.

Apart from the cost, the most important thing about the initiative is that new helmets will help protect the players and keep them safe.

Especially with the donation providing a wider variety of helmets for players to choose from, it can help accommodate everyone, said Humenny.

“The most important part of equipment for a football player is a helmet and it keeps people safe. There are a lot of different sizes or shapes of head, so it just helps out a little bit if there’s a few different types of helmet to accommodate and make it safer for the players and ensure that they got the best fit, it’s a win win for everyone involved,” he said.

Other communities that are receiving helmets from the initiative are: Assiniboia, Balgonie, Biggar, Broadview, Carrot River, Central Butte, Clavet, Delisle, Eatonia, Esterhazy, Estevan, Foam Lake, Fort Qu’Appelle, Gull Lake, Hafford, Hague, Hanley, Humboldt, Indian Head, Ituna/Kelliher, Kerrobert, Lanigan, Lemberg, Lloydminster, Lumsden, Macklin, Maple Creek, Martensville, Melfort, Melville, Moose Jaw, Moosomin, Nipawin, North Battleford/Battleford, Outlook, Plenty, Preeceville, Prince Albert, Regina, Rosetown, Rosthern, Saskatoon, Shaunovan, Southey, St. Brieux, Swift Current, Tisdale, Unity, Viscount, Wakaw/Cudworth, Watrous, Weyburn, Wilcox, Wynyard, Yorkton and as well as the communities in the Northern Football League.

All helmets donated will also have a small sized Riders logo on the back of the helmet to show support from the organization and that they are a part of the initiative.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes