The Stewart MacDonald Executive of the Year is handed out each season to a worthy volunteer who has gone above and beyond their usual duties.  The winner must show a passion to make their team or Conference better and the 2021 recipient did that, and then some.

This CJFL season required “out of the box thinking” at almost every turn and BC Conference President Tyler McLaren was up for the task.  He demonstrated incredible leadership with the changing COVID-19 protocols and was able to secure much needed funds for the Conference when ticket sales and sponsorship dollars were in jeopardy.

Tyler has been named the 2021 CJFL Stewart MacDonald Executive of the Year.

Original nomination submitted by Paul Shortt.

In his fourth year as President of the British Columbia Football Conference, 2021 turned out to be the most challenging for Tyler.

A hands-on President, as the conference came back to play following a CoVID year off, Tyler had plenty of work to do to get the BCFC back on the field and help the teams maneuver the provincial restrictions and help the teams who were experiencing financial setbacks.

Tyler maintained constant communication throughout the year to head off any potential problems and concerns that might delay or cancel the 2021 season and to ensure that all the teams in the BCFC were up to date on what was taking place within the BCFC as well as the CJFL.

This season Tyler created a schedule that the teams could adapt to, all the while obeying the provincial restrictions due to the pandemic. Part of the schedule called for the Okanagan Sun and Kamloops Broncos to hold home games in Chilliwack. Because of that decision, there were no games lost or postponed.

Along with being financially frugal, Tyler has again secured a major sponsor from the B.C. Lions football club. He was able to negotiate a new 50/50 agreement that would see the BCFC maintain the money flow to the league, despite the Lions missing 2020 and playing a shortened 2021 season. He also worked with and lobbied the BC government to secure some financial assistance from the COVID Relief Fund.

To help alleviate some of the financial strain on the teams, Tyler was able to broker a deal with Traxx Bus Lines that made for more cost-effective travel for the clubs.

All the while, Tyler was able to keep the new franchise from Prince George, the Kodiaks, informed and on track for their opening campaign in 2022.

With the challenges that the conference endured this season and Tyler taking ownership and responsibility of the BCFC to ensure that the league got back on track, the BCFC feels that Tyler would be a good choice as the CJFL 2021 Stewart MacDonald Executive of the Year.