Through his personal resilience and compassionate leadership as a coach, mentor, and administrator, Alex Nelson has helped transform access to sport and recreation for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. A member of the Musgamaqw-Dzawada’enuxw First Nation, Alex was born in 1946 in Kingcome Inlet, British Columbia. Playing soccer helped him live through seven years in the Alert Bay residential school system and later assisted him in overcoming other obstacles in life. During these years, he found solace in reclaiming a sense of personal freedom and bonding with other students on the soccer pitch. After leaving Alert Bay, Alex began seeking new ways to help Indigenous Peoples overcome the barriers and lack of support that had historically limited their access to sport and recreation in what is now known as Canada and the USA.
 
While studying sports administration at the University of Victoria, Alex joined forces with like-minded students to improve opportunities for Indigenous athletes, co-founding the Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Association of British Columbia in 1989. He served as the first Chairperson and three-time President of the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), breaking new ground with the Games’ unique blend of high calibre athletic competition and cultural celebrations.
 
Continuing to raise the profile of NAIG as two-time Chef de Mission for Team BC, Alex played a pivotal role in the creation of B.C.’s introductory Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Strategy. Alex also serves as an Elder and Senior Advisor for B.C.’s Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council, that has helped launch many game-changing initiatives aimed at developing Indigenous athletes. Initiatives such as Youth Fuelling Performance, a high-performance program, established in 2018 to support Indigenous youth at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence. In 2017, Alex was inducted into the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and then into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Alex received the W.A.C. Bennett Award for his outstanding leadership and unique contributions to sport in B.C. and beyond. In 2023, the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame established the Annual Alex Nelson Indigenous Sport Award for Male and Female Athlete of the Year. That same year, he was also awarded the Greater Victoria Sports Award with Appreciation and was the recipient of the North American Indigenous Games Hall of Honour Award in Halifax.
 
While working tirelessly to support Indigenous athletes as a policymaker and sports administrator, Alex has inspired generations of young people at the grassroots level as a passionate coach and mentor. He maintains his strong cultural foundation with his wife, Nella of 52 years; daughter Natasha; Grandsons Avery (Gigalis); Braden (Komanagwala); and great grandsons Dallas; Marcus (Kasalas); Alex; and twins Braiden and Jaiden. Often drawing on his own experiences to build connections, Alex has spent more than four decades fostering intergenerational exchange while coaching soccer with a holistic perspective on personal growth that goes beyond athletic development. In recognizing contributions beyond the field of play, Alex assisted in establishing criteria for the Premier’s Award for Aboriginal Youth Excellence in Sport in 2015 ensuring it would honour the whole person, rather than focus strictly on athletic achievement. As coach of B.C.’s U16 soccer team at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games, Alex shared his story as a residential school survivor, explaining “Sports became my saving grace,”. In a moving response, the players renamed their team “94 Calls,” based on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. Reframing Indigenous access to sport as a powerful opportunity for Reconciliation, Alex Nelson has built a legacy of healing and empowerment that continues to resonate today.

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