Missy Searl's home cooked meals and community spirit earn her recognition as a Volkswagen Canada Game Changer

Ask the Wanderers players — Missy "Mama" Searl knows how to cook a wicked meal.

Her cooking, community spirit and steadfast support of the Halifax Wanderers recently earned her recognition as a Volkswagen Canada Game Changer, a partnership with the CPL to recognize Canadians positively impacting their communities through the beautiful game.

Searl said most of her actions  — be it through her help on the Wanderers' Period Poverty campaign, as a minor football coach to her two sons or through the countless meals she's made for professional footballers far from home — can be attributed to a strong sense of community.

"It's how my parents brought me up. I just always think that family is more than who's your blood. It's people you can connect with and build that relationship with. That's what's been so important for me in Nova Scotia. I didn't grow up here so when I did move here, my community is part of my identity and who I am," she said during an interview with the Wanderers Notebook. "Anything I can do in my community is what I'm here for."

Growing up part of a military family, Searl remembers her parents leading by example; they were always the first to offer a young serviceperson or visitor a spot at the supper table.

It's a practice she's maintained since 2019 for any Wanderers players in need of a hot meal and a good laugh, both being offered freely at her home throughout the season.

"We open a door and allow them all to feel like they're not away from home," she said.

In terms of the cooking, Searl is accomplished in the kitchen and said she loves to make meals from players' home countries. Be it spicy Caribbean, traditional Nigerian fare or a feed of fish and chips, there isn't much beyond her abilities. She's previously cooked competitively and even had the chance to go to Toronto cook alongside British restauranteur Jamie Oliver.

Searl said her offer to host players started rather informally but has since grown to become a regular occurrence. Typically, she tries to provide a meal between matches or post-match, giving players a bit of a treat. She's in touch with the club's nutritionist through club sporting director Matt Fegan to ensure she's keeping within nutritional guidelines.

It may sound like a lot of work but it is an activity which Searl enjoys; five years in, it's part of her weekly routine.

"Being in the kitchen is just a really great way to decompress. Some people don't like it because they want that end result but cooking, for me, is experimenting. Cooking is so much fun," she said.

It's been a way for Searl and her family to bond with players and has helped to further grow the sense of community she feels with the Wanderers. The result is that players past and present are sure to send their messages of thanks and stop in, even if they have moved on to a different club.

This sense of community is one of the reasons Searl wrote a letter of support for the Wanderers' stadium pitch to HRM council: she's seen an entire community grow, literally before her eyes, at the Wanderers Grounds.

"We've been in 104 since the beginning. The people that sit, pretty much all around us, has been the same group these last five years. We're kind of like a little family now," she said.

Matchdays are something she cherishes with her family, including her sons Daniel, Chris and Chris' girlfriend Kayla and grandson Jackson.

"I wish people could understand how important having something like this in our community is for now and for generations. To finally have professional football in our city, besides our regular community clubs, to have something this big, is amazing," she said.

More info on the Game Changers program is available here.

Cover Photo Credit: @lillsearl88 on the app formerly known as Twitter