Family beams with pride as son leads N.W.T. futsal team to 2 victories in 1 day

It was a close game but the NWT junior male futsal team beat Alaska 2-1 at the Arctic Winter Games on Tuesday – and then prevailed with a stunning 13-2 win over Team Nunavut .

As team captain Tanaka Muwirimi played that first game at the Syncrude Sports and Wellness Center in Fort McMurray, Alta, he saw his hero – his father Panganai Muwirimi – in the stands cheering him on.

“I think he’s my idol. He was always there,” Tanaka said after his team beat Alaska. “He coached most of my teams, he really helped me improve my game. He was strong; when I had bad games he was there. Good games, he was there.”

Tuesday’s games were just two of 15 futsal games played by teams from the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alberta, Alaska and the Nordic countries (Team Sápmi) this week. They also follow a 4-2 loss to Team Yukon on Monday.

Speaking to CBC, Panganai didn’t have the words to express how it felt to see his son lead his team to victory.

“It’s great to see your son play and do what he loves to do. And I’m able to be available and present for him and support him,” Panganai said.

Philder Nyadembera, Tanaka’s mother, said they sent videos and photos to family members in Zimbabwe “so they can feel a little bit of what we’re feeling.”

From Zimbabwe to Yellowknife

Panganai and his family moved from Zimbabwe to the United States and then to Toronto, where Tanaka was born. They eventually headed west to Alberta before Nyadembera accepted a position at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife.

Panganai said he started coaching his son in soccer because he saw Tanaka’s talent and wanted to help him succeed.

To see Tanaka represent the NWT at the Arctic Winter Games “feels great,” he added.

“Mainly because Canada has accepted us and we feel like we’re giving back and my son is giving back,” he said.

Football runs in the Muwirimi family. Panganai played in high school and college when he was younger, and several other family members have also played.

Given that family history, Tanaka said he would love to turn pro one day.

“It’s a passion of ours, we love the sport. It would be very nice to have that in my job, my career path,” he said. “It’s not just talent that gets you there — it’s hard work and dedication that really gets you where you want to be.”

Hard work and dedication aside, Nyadembera said her advice to her son has always been the same: take time to enjoy what you’re doing.

“In everything, we always tell him to enjoy it,” Nyadembera said. “Because there’s no point in doing things you don’t enjoy.”

The NWT junior men’s futsal team plays Alberta North, who have won two of their three games so far, on Wednesday night before taking on Team Sápmi on Thursday afternoon. Team Sápmi has won two of its matches and drawn a third.