The Women in Football Portfolio is being created to identify the various development areas that require focus in order to increase female participation in football across Canada at all levels- as athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers and in all disciplines: Tackle, Flag and Touch.
Women’s Flag Competitions
April 17-19, 2010 in Hamilton, Ontario: Flag Football Senior Team Identification
Tournament information and registration will be posted here in November, 2009.
August 11-16, 2010: Women’s National Flag Team to play in World Flag Football Championship. More info HERE
Girls’ Flag Competitions
August 14-18, 2010: Age Division Championships in Ottawa, Ontario. Girls’ provincial team championships will attend the invitational.
Women’s Tackle Competitions
June 26-July 4, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden: IFAF Women’s World Tackle Championships. More info HERE
Training and Development
Football Canada and provincial football organizations offer development clinics for girls and women to learn to play or to further skills. As an active for life sport, clinics engage participants to have fun while improving physical, mental awareness to allow for long term play in competitive or recreational environments.
Female Football is developing in Canada and around the globe.
Girl’s and Women’s Sport Links
In 2004 the New Brunswick Women’s Football league began. That year, the league consisted of only two teams. The Lady Gladiators and the Saint John team then called the Simonds Seagals.
In 2005 the season started off with 4 teams, with the addition of the Moncton Vipers and another team form St. John. Unfortunately low numbers and early injuries plagued both St. John teams forcing them to amalgamate and the bulk of the season was played with 3 teams.
In 2006, Halifax, Nova Scotia, came on board bringing the numbers back to four. This also caused a name change from the NBWFL to the Maritime Women’s Football League.
With many obstacles to overcome the growth of the league was slow and at times discouraging. New teams needed enough money to buy all new equipment, or share with teams. Also recruitment of new players has been a challenge. Many of the new recruits have never played before, or for that matter never watched a game.
The league now has implemented Football Canada’s Junior Player Development Program as a development process so that the girls come up through a system.
There is a sense of pride as the league continues to grow and develop and more importantly that it gives the opportunity for girls to play tackle football.
Various leagues and teams dedicated to Women’s tackle football are being formed across the country. For more insight, visit the following links
Women are also getting involved in other areas of football, including Touch and Flag Football. In 2008, Canada hosted the 4th IFAF Flag Football World Championships where the Women’s Senior National Team brought home silver in their first international competition.
For more information about Women in Football, please contact Rick Sowieta, by email at gridiron@footballcanada.com or by phone at 613-564-0003 x224
The Unique Nutritional Needs of Female Athletes
In case you haven’t noticed, males and females are different. Aside from physical differences between the sexes, however, a number of sport nutrition-related differences also exist, from vegetarianism, hydration, and micronutrients to the Female Athlete Triad.
Read this month’s sport nutrition tip sheet “The Unique Nutritional Needs of Female Athletes”