The VI Raiders open for three games at home in Nanaimo beginning Saturday, Sep. 10 (File Photo/VI Raiders)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

big games

VI Raiders ready for vital three-game home stand

Sep 10, 2022 | 8:23 AM

NANAIMO — It’s three games on their home field which are perhaps just as important on the gridiron as off.

The VI Raiders open up a three game home stand at q’unq’inuqwstuxw (formerly NDSS Turf Field) on Saturday, Sep. 10, hosting the Valley Huskers for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff. Games against Langley and Westshore follow on subsequent Saturday’s.

Despite a desperate need for points for the 1-5 Raiders, the games carry perhaps more significance off the field as the team looks to recover from a trio of devastating setbacks.

In September 2021, equipment was stolen from a storage container on Comox Rd. In July, a fire at the team’s practice facility on Wall St. damaged practice gear but the recent theft of $50,000 worth of equipment from storage at Caledonia Park was by far the biggest sack.

Over the last 12 months, the team has lost around $100,000 worth of gear.

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A number of fundraisers are in the works, including a GoFundMe campaign which has raised just over $5,000 of the $50,000 goal.

Even if the goal were reached immediately, shipping delays and supply chain concerns wouldn’t solve the Raiders issues overnight.

“In terms of running it as skeleton as possible, yeah we’ll be able to finish out the season with what we have,” Josh Williams, GM of the Raiders, previously told NanaimoNewsNOW. “We might have to borrow a couple of game balls that are certified but if a guy’s helmet breaks, there’s no replacement parts for that.”

Tickets for Raider home games are available at the gate.

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