Behind every sports team is a group of people that bring the action directly to the fans at home. Often taken for granted, the role of being a sportscaster is not one for the faint of heart. It takes time, preparation, and dedication to the craft of having your voice heard through the microphone.
What do an associate producer for CTV and a Nike store retail manager have in common? They both work for the UFV Cascades, providing play-by-play commentary for our soccer programs! Dom Vallee and Brett Lubkiwski have been manning the microphones together at Rotary Stadium ever since Lubkiwski joined the broadcasting team in 2023, solidifying the voices of Cascades soccer.
Both Vallee and Lubkiwski grew up in the province of Saskatchewan. Playing soccer did not lead to a career on the pitch for either of them, but it did instill a passion for the game that continues to exist to this day. The two sportscasters attended different post-secondary institutions, but both of their roads led to the Fraser Valley through similar opportunities.
Before taking his talent to Abbotsford, Vallee studied broadcast journalism at BCIT and was offered a position casting for UFV while still a student. Lubkiwski took a different route, staying closer to his home province at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, earning a degree in broadcast news. He later landed a position at UFV through a connection via his wife’s cousin, former UFV women’s soccer player Amy Connorton.
Despite most recently calling UFV soccer during the 2025-26 season, both men credit the sport of ice hockey as being an integral stepping stone to their careers as sportscasters. Like countless other Canadian kids who grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada, Vallee and Lubkiwski both acknowledged legendary hockey commentators Jim Hughson and Bob Cole as inspirations to their careers. Lubkiwski named Verne Lundquist as another pillar in the sports broadcasting community that taught him how to let the moment speak for itself.
“[Lundqvist] definitely had a way of being able to read the moment, and it was the guys who knew when to not say anything during a broadcast who I could really get inspiration from.”
Now that the pair has been at UFV for a few years, they have been able to see several great athletes evolve from promising rookies into superstars on the pitch. Vallee and Lubkiwski marvelled over the skills of Ebi Igali and Michael Beecroft, respectively, as their favourite Cascades to watch. Igali and Beecroft are also the sportscasters’ picks for unsung heroes of a Cascades team that is looking for redemption in the Canada West play-offs. With growth in the program comes increased expectations and attention from fans, as well as potential recruits. Vallee looked back on how the UFV programs have evolved since he joined the booth five years ago.
“Both teams have been progressing since I got here. It’s been really cool over the last five years to watch the growth of the program.”
Fan experience is essential to gameday presentation. Players feed off the atmosphere created by the home crowd, adding to the old adage of home field advantage. While winning always helps, a true test to a sportscaster is keeping fans entertained during a blowout game. Lubkiwski expressed that there is much more of a story to these athletes than what we see on the score sheet.
“It’s about trying to find things that go beyond the game, and remind people that they are humans more than athletes. It’s not so much about the score at the end of the day.”
With microphones, stories, and fun statistics at the ready, Vallee and Lubkiwski continue to bring their passion for soccer to the masses. With the rise of Cascades athletics, it might not be long before we see these two sportscasters up in the big leagues — but for now you can catch them on CanadaWest TV on game night.
