Justin Phillips, Ottawa Redblacks Captain in their inaugural season, was introduced originally to the sport of football with Bell Warriors. Many years have passed and Justin reached out to the Warriors, as the Branch Manager, Commercial Sales, of the Stittsville BrokerLink Inc. branch, to come back to the youth football club as a platinum sponsor.
This platinum sponorship is a unique, new partnership between the Warriors and BrokerLink that will help keep football affordable and accessible for local youth.
A generous and thoughtful show of support for the club’s young players, Paul Stewart, President of the Bell Warriors Football Club, told Stittsville Central, “the Bell Warriors Football Club was established in 1955 and is entering its 67th year of providing youth football programs, thanks to the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of players who have been part of the organization”. “Football is one of the ultimate team sports that is not only fun, it also provides valuable life skills that team members take with them long after their playing days are done,” added Stewart.
We caught up with Justin Philips at his office. He shared that, “I started playing with the Warriors at the Mosquito level in 1998 and continued with them for five seasons leaving as a Midget. I received the Jim Wagdin Post-Secondary Scholarship twice, helping me to continue my education at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo where I continued playing football with the Golden Hawks. We won the Vanier Cup in 2005. I played for the Calgary Stampeders and I finally came home to play for the Ottawa Redblacks.”
“My two brothers also played for the Warriors and my Mom volunteered with the bingo fundraisers. The Bell Warriors are near and dear to our family’s hearts,” continued Justin.
Justin added about the sponsorship, “BrokerLink did sponsor the Warriors in 2021, but with the COVID situation, the season was basically cancelled. This year, the team at BrokerLink Stittsville wanted to sponsor the club again. You know, it takes a whole community to assist financially, especially at the grassroots level, every little bit goes a long way to allow these kids to play football”.
BrokerLink employees are proud to live and work in the communities they serve, that includes supporting local youth initiatives like the Warriors, that create a positive, encouraging, safe and instructive learning environment for young players, focused on instilling confidence, competence, and inner pride.
“We are grateful to BrokerLink for helping the Bell Warriors to continue offering football programs for local youth,” Stewart ended. “In addition, it means so much to see Justin Phillips, manager of the local Stittsville BrokerLink branch, continue to embrace his football roots.”
Justin Phillips began his playing days as a Bell Warrior and went on to win a Vanier Cup, two Grey Cups with the Calgary Stampeders, and he was team captain with the Ottawa Redblacks in their inaugural season.
About the Bell Warriors Football Club
Since 1955, the Bell Warriors Football Club has offered football programs which are now available for boys and girls ages 5 to 19, in the communities of Britannia, Bayshore, Bells Corners, Crystal Beach, Richmond, Munster and Stittsville. The Warriors offer off-season clinics, Spring Girls Flag Football, Spring Boys Flag Football, and a competitive Tackle Football program in the fall. For more details about the Bell Warriors Football Club, go to www.bellwarriors.ca or email info@BellWarriors.ca.
About BrokerLink
Since 1991, we’ve had a vision: to build a network of trusted insurance brokers across the country, working directly in the communities we serve. With over 200 branches and 3,000 employees, we’re proud to say that BrokerLink has become one of Canada’s largest and most reliable insurance brokerages. The BrokerLink companies are subsidiaries of Intact Financial Corporation (TSX: IFC) and are affiliated with Intact Insurance Company and Jevco Insurance Company.