You’d be hard-pressed to find a Wesmen volleyball game this season where Allan Edie wasn’t in the crowd, cheering them on.
He was there when an electric, sold-out crowd saw the Wesmen men’s volleyball team make UWinnipeg history – winning the crown of Canada West champions for the first time ever on March 9.
Edie, a Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductee, four-time national champion, and former all-star volleyball player, even made the drive out to Brandon to watch the men’s team battle it out in the U Sports national championship.
“This is exciting,” Edie said. “This is good news for The University of Winnipeg, for everybody that goes through the Wesmen program, and also good news for Manitoba as a province. So, it’s pretty easy to support and cheer them on.”
Not so long ago, that was you out there — and someone was in your corner. Now it’s our turn.
Allan Edie
Although Edie has a personal connection to the Wesmen team – having played university volleyball with current women’s coach, Phil Hudson and the father of the men’s coach, Chris Voth – he said his passion for amateur athletics extends beyond any one team or one sport.
“Whether they’re wearing red, or brown and gold, or blue and gold, or whatever the colour is, these student-athletes have a chance to succeed and I’m all behind that,” he said.
Financial support goes a long way
Edie is also showing up for the Wesmen in a big way with a $100,000 donation to the Wesmen Program Fund. The exciting announcement was made at a celebration in the Duckworth Centre on April 25.
“The financial support for student-athletes is important,” said Wesmen Athletics Director, Cara Isaak. “There are things you can do with those funds that will elevate our high-performance sport experience for the athletes.”
Edie’s $100,000 gift will give Wesmen teams a competitive advantage – improving strength and conditioning facilities, providing new opportunities for travel, and greater resources for players and coaching staff.
“We’re making sure that we’re giving our athletes every tool so that they can go out and win those championships,” Isaak said. “We’ve got the buy-in from the athletes. We’ve got the elite coaches. We’ve got all the people and the energy that we need to do it. There are just a few things that you need some money for to build it. So that’s where this donation, and donations like it, are going to go.”
Edie’s gift to the Wesmen Program Fund will add momentum to existing supports for Wesmen athletics.
“The Duckworth family, and the Anderson family, and all those people have paved the way for this with the facilities and all the support that they’ve given,” said Isaak. “Now there’s another donor coming in to take us to that next level, which is absolutely amazing.”
Community-building through sport
But, Isaak said, donors like Edie do more than just write a cheque.
“Seeing people be really successful after they finish their sport is important,” she said. “He’s there with the athletes, shakes their hand, tells them how great they played. He really cares about them as people, which is really important.”
Both Isaak and Edie agree that investing in student-athletes helps build strong communities.
“Sport is all about relationships that you make,” Isaak said. “When we think of all the different communities that are represented at our games, or that come to games, or that our student-athletes go out and work with in the community, it’s really a point of connection for so many different types of people, which is wonderful.”
Allan Edie said he hopes his donation inspires others to give back.
“You win a national championship or (conference championship) with a teammate, that guy’s your brother forever,” said Edie. “Those friendships and those memories set a personal foundation of confidence, teamwork, and work ethic. If you take that and put it in your career, you will not help but be successful. You can’t miss.”
For men’s volleyball player, Paxton Koop, his team has felt like a second family.
“Being a Wesmen has helped me grow in ways I never thought were possible,” Koop explained. “I was welcomed with open arms five years ago, and the relationships and memories I’ve made here will last a lifetime.”
Women’s basketball forward, Jennifer Kallon, feels connected to community every time she puts on her Wesmen jersey.
“I just love being able to be a part of the community, and it’s so cool that we can be an inspiration and a role model to some of the youth in the city,” she said. “It really is a blessing that I’m in a position to throw on that jersey and represent our city and all of the other Wesmen greats that came before me.”
A call to action
Allan Edie’s game-changing $100,000 gift isn’t just a donation — it’s a call to action.
Edie is inviting former athletes, UWinnipeg alumni, and anyone who’s ever cheered from the stands to step forward and give back. He hopes to inspire a wave of support to ensure Wesmen student-athletes have everything they need to succeed — not just in their sport, but as leaders in the community.
You can donate to the Wesmen Program Fund, helping to support facilities, travel, coaching, and player development. Or donate to the Wesmen Athletics Scholarship Fund.
“Not so long ago, that was you out there — and someone was in your corner,” Edie said. “Now it’s our turn. Let’s carry the torch and pass it to the next generation.”
