Nunavut is one of the most remote, sparsely populated parts of the world. It is also where some young footballers call home

Sports, like most aspects of life, are not easy in Nunavut, the largest and most northerly territory in Canada. The vast region is more than eight times the size of the UK, yet it only contains 38,000 people – one for every 25 square miles. The weather is extreme, with temperatures in some places falling below -50 at winter; alcohol is limited in some communities due to problems with addiction; and the suicide rate peaked at 10 times the national average a few years ago. But football is having a big impact on young people in the territory.

On my first trip to Nunavut a few years ago, I came across a kickabout in the remote community of Arviat, which has a population of around 2,600. I was amazed at how skilled the kids were with the ball. They had a distinctive style, which they developed by growing up playing and moving on the tundra. I knew I needed to capture this delight and share it.

Last October I traveled back to Nunavut, this time to the capital city of Iqaluit. For a few hours every day we filmed pieces of this documentary, stumbling upon kickabouts outside on the snow and dropping in on teams of boys and girls as they practised. They were preparing for the annual U18 Nunavut Championships.

Sixteen teams from around the territory flew into the capital for the tournament. One coach told me that his team made a 4,500km round trip to be there. The various communities in Nunavut are not connected by roads or bridges, which makes travelling expensive. Every community comes together to fundraise to cover the cost of around $35,000 for their team to travel to the event.

With teams so isolated, having some competition between them is important. But not all of them always afford to make it. We hope our film brings new partnerships, funding and sponsorship opportunities for the Nunavut Soccer Association (which is run mostly by volunteers), who need money to buy equipment, put on community camps and organise their two annual youths championships – for under-15s and under-18s.

We also hope the documentary shows what football means to the people of Nunavut and that it has given them a place to share the pride they have for their sport, their community and their land.