Women's Football

[jerrym]

Reina Iizuka is the first woman to make the roster a U Sports football roster while playing for the University of Manitoba.

Reina Iizuka is Canadian university football’s best-kept secret.
The five-foot-seven, 160-pound defensive back is entering her third year at the University of Manitoba, having been a red-shirted player on the Bisons in 2018.

Red-shirted players, who practise but do not dress for games, usually aren’t in the spotlight. However, it’s a different story for the 19-year-old Iizuka, who is believed to be the first woman to appear on a U Sports football roster.
The well-spoken native of Mississauga applied to Manitoba in 2017, but wasn’t on the roster her first year, working out with the team while she recovered from a knee injury.

Iizuka sees herself as a football player first, but understands how others can consider her a trail-blazer and pioneer in her chosen sport.
“I’m someone who plays the game but I also realize with that will be responsibilitycp,” she said during a telephone interview. “I’m just a player but at the same time I’m that (pioneer) as well.
“It’s something I aspire to be. I don’t think I’m mentally there yet, but I’m working hard to become that.” ...

Bisons head coach Brian Dobie made it clear Iizuka had earned her spot in his program. That’s quite a statement from the winningest football coach in school history (92-90-1), who is entering his 24th season at Manitoba.
“I didn’t do this to make a political statement that I’m going to be the coach or we’re going to be the program that’s going to give this young woman a chance and be a breakthrough,” Dobie said. “I brought her here because of her drive, passion and determination and she had the skill level and experience to back it up.
“Winning in my job is really important, but more important is the student-athlete experience. We’ve certainly done our share of winning at Manitoba, but I’m proud of the student-athlete experience.”
Dobie, 66, fondly remembers watching Iizuka for the first time while serving as a guest coach at a summer football camp in the Toronto area. Her rapport with Dobie was a key reason she chose Manitoba.
“I was at a tackling drill and there was a player who made two or three impressive tackles in a row,” Dobie said. “I literally turned to one of the coaches I was standing beside and said, ‘Wow, he’s a really good tackler.’
“And he replied, ‘Yeah coach, that guy is a girl.’ So she went to the back of the line and I went over and gave her a coaching tip and we had a brief chat. We talked again at lunch and I was immediately struck by her passion and drive for being the best player she could and taking it as far as she could. She was really impressive.” ...


Ultimately, though, it will be up to Iizuka to determine whether she’s able to play for Manitoba. Dobie, for one, isn’t betting against her.
“Oh no,” he said. “The rules say we can dress 50 players at home and we’re going to carry 85 to 90 so you can do the math.
“Can she make her way through that group and get to the top 50? It will be extremely difficult, no question, but she’s overcome a lot just to get here.

https://www.bttoronto.ca/2019/02/27/...orts-football/

[jerrym]

The CFL and U Sports worked together to send four women to the NFL Women's Careers in Football Forum at the end of February.

The event provides participants with valuable networking opportunities as well as sessions preparing attendees with resources and knowledge about working in football.
Representing the CFL were Christina Litz, the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Chief Marketing, Digital and Strategy officer and Ryan Janzen, Senior Director, Football Operations. Representing the U SPORTS contingent will be Erin Craig, Andrea Eccleston, Reina Iizuka and Kristine Walker.

Erin Craig, who serves as the director of strength and conditioning for the Saint Mary’s University football program. She attended the Montreal Alouettes’ 2018 training camp and has also worked with the Dalhousie women’s hockey program.

Andrea Eccleston (Maple Creek, SK), the equipment manager and team administrator for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Eccleston has volunteered with Football Canada in numerous capacities and served as the Chef de Mission for the women’s Team Canada tackle football team at the International Federation of American Football World Championships.

Reina Iizuka, a defensive back for the University of Manitoba Bisons who is in her redshirt freshman year with the team. Iizuka previously played for the St. Marcellinus Spirit and the Toronto Junior Argos, where she was a 10-time team captain and a three-time Team Ontario Selects.

Kristine Walker, the current strength and conditioning coordinator at Western University. She has worked with over 500 varsity athletes from a wide variety of sports, including football. Walker has also assisted the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) camp and Gary Roberts High Performance Training.

https://usports.ca/en/sports/footbal...football-forum

[jerrym]

Emilie Halle discusses below some of the problems women face in playing a non-traditional female sport.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/03/29/oleary...playing-field/

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History in the making.@StMarkOCSB held the first all girls tackle 🏈 game at @TD_Place with help from @FoundationOSEG and two special guest coaches.#RNation #RCommunity pic.twitter.com/8mYhRHYwlu

— Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS) April 29, 2019

[jerrym]

The Western Women's Canadian Football League, which plays Canadian rules, started its 2019 season on the May 4-5 weekend with four games involving all eight teams in the league. Below is a video report on the Lethbridge Steel team, which has been in the league for ten years.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/scie...off/vi-AAARwUM

[jerrym]

The Prince Edward Island Island Demons has joined the existing four teams of the Maritime Women's Football League for the 2019 season. The other four teams are the Halifax Xplosion, Moncton Vipers, Capital Area Lady Gladiators and St. John Storm. The league began the 2019 season last weekend.




https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/sports...island-306032/

[jerrym]

If the five team Maritime Women's Football League and the eight team Western Women's Football League are able to start up and continue operating since 2004 and 2011 respectively, why can't a women's league get going in central Canada?

[jerrym]

The Saskatoon Valkyries defeated the Regina Riot on June 29th to win the Western Women's Canadian Football League title with Sam Matheson rushing for 176 yards.

https://leaderpost.com/sports/footba...l-league-title

[jerrym]

The Halifax Xplosion beat St. John Storm 15-7 to win the championship game of the Maritime Women's Football League.

[jerrym]

Montreal Alouette HC Danny Macocia and others argue that U Sports schools should start offering women's flag football as a sport. The NAIA has already started it.

Danny Maciocia believes U Sports schools should begin offering Women’s Flag Football as an athletic program. TSN 690 host Moe Khan tweeted Tuesday that he “still cannot believe that U Sports has yet to introduce Women’s Flag Football. So many CEGEPs and high schools are playing across Canada”. The Grey Cup and Vanier Cup winning coach-turned-GM responded in kind.

“Totally agree! Would be great initiative, lots of talent available,” Maciocia tweeted.

The discussion came on the heels of Women’s Flag Football earning emerging status in NAIA, a small school collegiate sports organization in the United States, with more than 15 schools signed up to play an inaugural season as part of an NFL initiative. Canadian schools have a long history of association with the NAIA, with the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria hold full membership status in both organizations.

Women’s football has grown in recent years at both the flag and tackle level, with Canada fielding competitive teams internationally in both categories. Last year, eight women’s flag teams from across the country competed in the Canadian Flag Football League National Championships in Regina after first advancing from their regional tournaments.

https://3downnation.com/2020/06/30/a...-sports-level/

[jerrym]

Emmarae Dale who played for the Saskatoon Valkyries in the Western Women's Canadian Football League has signed with the Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League, becoming the first women to do so.

Emmarae Dale, a linebacker who helped the Saskatoon Valkyries win a pair of Western Women’s Canadian Football League (WWCFL) titles in 2016 and 2019, is the first female football player to join the Hilltops roster. She is also believed to be the first female player in the Canadian Junior Football League’s storied history.

“It’s definitely pretty surreal,” Dale said before the Toppers’ practice on Tuesday night. “Yeah, it’s still hitting me, I guess. I’ve known about it for a while and it’s been in motion for a few months now, but I guess now that it’s brought to light, it’s definitely hitting me all over again that this is happening. “It still just kind of feels like it’s a dream.”

Hilltops defensive coordinator Jeff Yausie, as a former Valkyries head coach, got to see Dale first-hand in the WWCFL. ....

“Nothing’s token about this,” Yausie stressed. “We’re not doing this for any (publicity). She’s very talented. “Last week was sort of the first time we saw her on the field with our guys and, to me, she fits right in and does not look out of place at all.”

When Yausie coached the Valkyries, Dale was still young and raw. “But to see her grow up and dominate at that level, we kind of had this idea, Tom (Sargeant) and I, in the winter,” added Yausie, noting that Dale was invited to their winter workouts before the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to everything. When the Hilltops returned to the field last week after a pandemic pause, Dale was among those to show up.

“She’s unique,” said Yausie, a former CFL player. “What sets her apart is she’s very strong and she’s a great athlete. I was able to watch her with the bag drill with our linebackers. She is at the same level or perhaps a little bit quicker than some of the players.

https://thestarphoenix.com/sports/lo...illtops-roster

[jerrym]

Sarah Fuller today became the first woman to appear in a Power Five football game.

Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller made history on Saturday when she kicked off at the start of the second half against Missouri, making her the first woman to play a snap in a Power Five college football game. Fuller, a starting goalkeeper on the Commodores' SEC championship women's soccer team, joined the football program this week after Vanderbilt lost multiple specialists due to COVID-19 issues.

Fuller's squib kick was recovered by Missouri at its own 35-yard line.

"I just want to tell all the girls out there that you can do anything you set your mind to. You really can. If you have that mentality all the way through, you can do big things," Fuller said after the game, a 41-0 loss for the Commodores.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...football-game/

[jerrym]

A new women's league called the Central Canada Women's Football League (CCWFL) is scheduled to start playing in Ontario and Quebec in 2022.

Football Quebec and Football Ontario have joined the movement Les Reines Football, created in November 2020, to create the first inter-provincial women’s football league in the eastern part of the country.

The Central Canada Women Football League (CCWFL) has launched with the objective of empowering all women to participate in football in a competitive and safe environment, regardless of the role. More than 50 women answered Les Reines’ call at their launch in February and more than 100 women have already expressed their interest in playing in the CCWFL even before its launch. Extending Les Reines’ existing reach to new regions, the CCWFL is confident to have their first competitive season in 2022.

The league currently has two teams: the Montreal Blitz and the Ottawa-Gatineau Capital Rebels. By the first season, the CCWFL’s objective would be to develop four new teams in Quebec City, Toronto, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.

According to the CCWFL website, the Blitz will be coached by Larry Ghio, who worked as a scout for the Edmonton Elks from 2010 to 2012.

The association of the two provincial sports organizations is accelerating the pace towards the development of women in football in these two provinces.

“The association of Football Quebec and Football Ontario is a key element of this project of which we are very proud,” underlines Andréanne Dupont-Parent, founder of the movement Les Reines Football and now commissioner of this new league.

For Mathieu Joyal, General Manager of Football Quebec, this union reiterates the importance “of developing the women’s aspect in football in order to create an environment open to everyone, all passionate of the same discipline.”

Les Reines Football movement was launched by Andréanne Dupont-Parent, a former football player with the Montreal Blitz, in the midst of the pandemic to create a supportive community promoting accessibility to football for young girls and women.

https://www.americanfootballinternat...g-2022-season/

[Mocha]

I was just going to post this in response to the positive news about the CCWFL.

It's great to see the growth of the game for women. I hope some of the initiatives being discussed to get more indigenous youth involved will succeed as well.

Here's another article about amateur women's tackle football in the Ottawa area:

https://ottawasun.com/sports/footbal...otball-program

[AngeloV]

I know I've said it before, but as someone that played a lot of touch football after my contact playing days were done, I have seen some very talented female ballers out there, especially in touch football Ontario tournaments. I think it's great that they are growing the game form a female perspective.

[jerrym]

The commissioner, Andreanne Dupont-Parent, of the Central Canada Women's Football League (CCWFL) which plans to start in 2022 with six teams, including one in Toronto, comments on the league below.

Andreanne Dupont-Parent is the commissioner of the CCWFL. She’ll spend the next year gearing up for the on-field action to kick off and will be talking with stakeholders in different regions as they build and grow their teams.

“I’m mostly very excited that things are coming together and that different people from both Quebec and Ontario are willing to work together to make this work because it’s long-awaited,” she said from her home in Montreal. “I’m just very excited for the future of senior women’s tackle football in central Canada, that has been mostly non-existent in a structured way in Canada. So it’s big shoes to fill, but like in any team, it’s teamwork. I’m relying on amazing people and hope to keep building, like a great team so that we can spread the word about this project.” ...

Women’s tackle football has steadily grown across the country over the last decade or so. There’s the Western Women’s Canadian Football League, which has teams in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In Atlantic Canada, there’s the Maritime Women’s Football League, which has teams in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

While there’s been dedicated interest in the women’s game in Ontario and Quebec — the Blitz has played against American teams since its inception in 2001 and Canadian players close to the U.S. border have joined women’s teams in the States — this will mark the first time that there will be league play in women’s football between Toronto and Montreal, Canada’s two biggest cities.

Dupont-Parent played for the Blitz and for many years that’s just the way that women played tackle football, so that lack of a Toronto-Montreal involvement didn’t seem as strange to her. Over the last year, with border restrictions and time to think about where she’d like to see the game go, that feeling changed. “In big markets like Toronto and Montreal — and Ontario and Quebec are big football provinces — it made no sense that it had been left on the side and not picked up by any federation or any local clubs,” she said.

The group’s communications and media relations manager Maelle Benoit says that over 50 women have expressed interest in Les Reines since Dupont-Parent held a virtual clinic in February and more than 100 have already inquired about playing in the CCWFL. While that’s great grassroots buzz, this consortium of football-loving women feels like it can be just the start of an explosive growth of the game in the country’s most populous regions.

https://www.cfl.ca/2021/06/21/oleary...womens-league/