Thunderbird Football Association
The TFA is an organization of dedicated people who care about UBC football and its alumni. We provide a connection point through which alumni, parents, donors and friends of the program can channel their passion. Our purpose is to steward the legacy of UBC football by building a vibrant and engaged community. We help early-career alumni transition to life after football.
TFA's 7th MASTERMIND DINNER:
Leveraging Sports as an Asset
Wednesday, November 27th
6:30 p.m.
at the Italian Cultural Centre
The TFA is proudly hosting the next dinner in our Mastermind Series.
We’re excited to announce 3 awesome panelists:
Haleigh Callison
After a prolific UBC hockey career, Haleigh played professional hockey all over the world from Berlin to Toronto to Kazakhstan. She spent 15 years working at Twist Conditioning before recently joining Olympic Industries as a Lumber trader, specializing in Western Red Cedar.
Haleigh’s career as a high performance athlete, transition into a related field with Twist, and then move into lumber trading is incredibly relevant to our alumni.
You can also catch her speaking at the UBC Athletics Women’s Leadership Network Nov. 19th.
Denny Dumas
Denny, a high school footballer, played university basketball in the US and at UBC. After graduating, he worked 5 years in the restaurant industry. This set him up for his next transition into the real estate industry and helped grow his company from $30 million in sales in 2014 to $120 million in 2017.
He then became a partner at Garbutt + Dumas Real Estate and hosts his own podcast called “Zero to Here”.
You can keep up with Denny (and his podcast) at his website.
Rob Friend
Rob graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara and went on to a distinguished soccer career with 32 appearnces for team Canada as a striker. He played professional soccer for a number of years in Europe before ending his career in the MLS with the LA Galaxy.
He’s a founder of the DRG Investment Group and the CEO of the Pacific Football Club.
Rob is a great example of taking a successful sports career and merging it with business.
Location
Italian Cultural Center
6:30 p.m.
3075 Slocan St,
Vancouver, BC
Time
6:30 p.m. Appetizers & Social
7:00 p.m. Speakers
7:40 p.m. Q&A
8:40 p.m. Social
9:30 p.m. Finish
Tickets
Current Players: Free
Early Career Alumni (<5 Years): $20
Alumni & Supporters: $40
Frequently Asked Questions:
Will there be food and drink?
Yes, your ticket includes appetizers, a full meal, and there is a cash bar.
Where does this money go?
Like at all our events, the TFA subsidizes the tickets (at every price point). It’s thanks to the generosity of alumni that we can run these events and make them affordable, especially for younger alumni.
Dress code?
There is no formal dress code. Most people come in business casual. You can see in our photos, a golf shirt and dress jeans is fine, as is a suit. Whatever makes you comfortable.
Transit? Parking?
There is ample parking at the Italian Cultural Centre. And its right across the street from the skyrain (Renfrew Station).
Who can come?
As UBC football alumni, we believe that any player, alum, supporter, parent, coach, or friend of the program is welcome. If you love UBC football, this is a place for you. It doesn’t matter whether you were on the scout team for 6 months, a parent who’s son played 12 years ago, or just someone who loves UBC football. Join us!
I’d like to help the alumni, who do I talk to?
Well, talk to anyone on our board (www.ubctfa.com), reach us at ubc(at)tfa.com.
UBC Football Alumni Newsletter
Sign up to stay up to date on the latest events & alumni updates.
Regular Programs
- BOARD OF ADVISORS
The TFA also runs a Peer Board of Advisors for mid-career alumni. It operates like a mastermind with 6-8 alumni meeting once a month to provide advice and a sounding board for fellow alumni. We’ve received phenomenal feedback and are looking to grow the number of PBoAs running. If you are interested or just want more information contact arasotto@hotmail.com
- MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
The TFA runs a Mentorship Program for UBC football alumni. We are always looking for both mentors and mentees, if you are interested fill out the form HERE.
Events
Events take two forms:
- Mastermind events and
- Social events
The purpose of Mastermind events is to provide topical insights and expertise that supports the success of our younger alumni as they develop in their careers and life. TFA Social events take place in a casual environment, such as a bar and provide a forum for camaraderie and networking.
Events are a key platform of our Thunderbird 4 Life (T4L) initiative along with our Mentorship and Peer Board of Advisors (PBoA) programs.
T4L
The Thunderbird 4 Life (T4L) Mentorship Program provides ambitious, young members of our community with access to the experience and expertise of our more established members. Our established members represent a wide range of businesses and professions in Vancouver, across Canada, and globally.
The Peer Board of Advisors is a small mastermind chaired by an experienced UBC alum. It presents a chance for mid-career alumni to present issues and challenges to fellow alumni as well as an opportunity for accountability.
Join
The TFA is always looking for new members, contributors and supporters whether you’re a player, alumni, parent, or friend of the program. We believe our community is a broad one including anyone who has a love for UBC football and its supporters.
We’re a volunteer organisation and our impact on our alumni community is thanks to people who generously give time and money.
So whether you’re looking to join the TFA, have some ideas for the alumni, questions about what the TFA does or how you can contribute, please reach out.