First Leg of the 2025 Reid Davidson Charity Shield
- Elise Coates
- May 1
- 3 min read
The Reid Davidson Charity Shield is back! Kamloops FC is coming to town this weekend for the first leg and Nanaimo United is looking forward to hosting them.
The Shield is a total points home and home competition between Kamloops FC and Nanaimo United League1, involving both the men's and women's teams. The clubs are working together to honour and remember Reid, and to establish scholarships in his name in their communities. Reid was a well-loved member of both soccer communities and the Nanaimo United FC Member Services Coordinator.
This is the second year of the Shield, and Nanaimo United is looking to defend their title as Shield Champions! Can’t quite remember how it all went down at the final trophy match in Kamloops last year? Read about it here. Men’s coach Kevin Lindo says “We’re very excited to defend our trophy! It means a lot to us to play in honour of Reid who embodied teamwork and community. He’s very missed by the soccer community and we will give our all on Sunday, as he did in every game.”
“We will play our hearts out for Reid as he represented NUFC with great pride and he did so with an incredible work ethic,” added women’s coach Bobbie Taylor.
A new trophy was made for this year’s competition, handcrafted once again by Reid’s uncle, Victor Lizzi. Reid’s dad, Michael Davidson, shared the meaning behind the trophy’s details and his favourite moments from last year:
The moose is our nickname for Reid. Long story short, on the morning he was born, late February, I’d woken up in the middle of the night, walked out to the living room and looked outside (2 AM ish), and there was a giant moose standing on our front lawn. About 6 hours later Reid was born. It was like a sign. His spirit animal.
As for the “be a goldfish”, that was a quote from Ted Lasso. Reid and Georgia loved watching that show and many wonderful quotes for soccer, and life, came from that show. That one resonated with them both.
Last year we attended the second leg of games. It was so special to see it happen. Again, Victor had special shirts made up for the game with sales going to Reid’s scholarships. It was and is special to see people walk around with “RD13” shirts. I loved seeing [Executive Directors] Jason and Lyle, and realizing how both really wanted this! Lyle is still bitter and wants [the trophy] really bad this year!
The Shield was the first trophy our League1 teams have won. Let’s add another one to our list. The second leg of the Shield will be held in Kamloops on June 22.
Returning League1 player and women’s captain Kate Reynolds, gave us some insight on what the upcoming games mean to our club:
I think it’s one of the most important weekends we have this season, it’s more than just a game, it’s in memory for Reid and everything he stood for. I feel so fortunate to be able to play in front of his family and friends and honor his name, as does the whole team. This weekend is a great way to continue the conversation about Reid and tell the new girls about how wonderful and special he was. We all miss him everyday and we all wish he could be here to cheer us on. I am thankful for the Charity Shield as it is a great way to honour Reid and his family.
The ladies are feeling good, we’re getting some new and returning players back which is getting us fired up! Practice has been super intense and I feel we’re ready to put up a good fight and get the win this weekend.
The women’s game starts at 11 AM, followed by the men at 1:30 PM at the Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium. The Spud Barn food truck will be there for all your lunch needs. It’s going to be a great day! Get your tickets here.
See you at the stadium! United!
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