Harry Manson

Xul-si-malt, who was given the English name Harry Manson, (1879 – February 10, 1912) was a First Nations soccer player, the first to be inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. He broke many racial barriers as one of the first Aboriginal soccer players in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Manson was known for his many abilities and skills in soccer. In fact, he was the only player, of Aboriginal or European descent, to play on all three Nanaimo premier soccer teams.

A member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, he was born on Vancouver Island. As he prepared to take the field, crowds would call him "savage" because of his athleticism. Local press recognized Manson as one of the best players that Nanaimo has ever produced.

Manson was also a very good baseball player, playing for the Nanaimo Reliance Baseball Club in 1906. He married Lucy Sampson, with whom he had one child. In Indigenous cultures, when one passes on their spirit name becomes a guide to who they are and how they should be in the world. For Harry Manson, his name Xulsimalt means "One Who Leaves His Mark".

The Harry Manson Legacy Tournament The Harry Manson Legacy Tournament is a tournament that is open to Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal men and women to play in. The tournament was set up in 2015 and includes four teams from the First Nation communities in the Vancouver-area, as well as aboriginal students from surrounding urban areas. They hope to overcome racial barriers that are still present in Vancouver and surrounding areas.