‘We really come together when we're out there on the field'
Founded in 2008, the Manitoba Fearless Women's Tackle Football is the top-ranked women's team in the province, who compete in the Prairie Division of the WWCFL with the Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot.
The Fearless finished the regular season with a 1-3 record in a short schedule that ran from early May to mid-June, but veteran defensive lineman Brooklyn Dyce says it's a step up from last year — when they went winless — for the growing team.
Dan Noordman Photo
Manitoba Fearless running back Hallie Eggie straight arm blocks a Regina Riot player in the Western Women's Canadian Football League conference semifinal.
'We kind of had a little bit of an up and down season,' said Dyce. 'It was definitely a building year. We have a really good core group, and we got a few new good players.'
The squad's sole win came against the Regina Riot in their second game of the season, defeating them 21-2. Under WWCFL rules, that decisive victory earned the Fearless a home playoff game at the St. Vital Mustangs Field, as they outscored Regina overall despite splitting the season series.
'The last couple years we've had to travel to our playoff games,' said Dyce. 'So it was great to get to be at home in front of our fans, and even though the game didn't quite go how we hoped or expected it to, it was great to have all the support of our friends, family and supporters.'
In the must-win game to advance to the WWCFL Conference Finals, the Fearless fell 22-8 to the Riot. Since joining the league in 2011, the Fearless have only reached the finals once, in 2022. The league has been dominated by the Saskatoon Valkyries, who have won the past four championships — and all but three titles since 2011 — with the Regina Riot claiming the other three.
However, with girls' football growing in Manitoba through the Manitoba Girls Football Association (MGFA), Dyce says that could help them get over the hump.
'We have quite a few MGFA graduates on our team now,' said Dyce. 'Girls are coming to our team with a lot more experience, and they're a lot more ready to play right off the hop.'
Dan Noordman Photo
Manitoba Fearless quarterback Ebony Furst in the conference semifinal game against the Regina Riot.
The MGFA is the first female tackle football program of its kind in Western Canada for players aged 11 to 18, with four teams focused on helping young girls in football develop their skills and find community through the sport.
'The league is just giving them basic knowledge and fundamentals, that kind of stuff, good coaching, and it's really helping setting up these young women for success,' said Dyce.
For Dyce, 34, her path to the league was a bit different. She grew up in a football family, with both her brother, Trysten, and her dad, Bob — who is the head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL. Brooklyn played football until she was 12, but stepped away to focus on her soccer career, which she continued at North Dakota State University.
After returning to Winnipeg, she found herself looking for another competitive sport to play and, when a few members of the Fearless saw her lifting at a CrossFit gym and invited her to check out a practice, her football career started up again in 2018.
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Dyce went on to be selected for Team Canada at the 2022 IFAF Women's World Championship in Finland, and she continues to lead the younger girls on the Fearless, some as young as 16.
'I think one of the reasons why we are having — starting to have a bit more success again, is we really focus on being a super positive environment,' said Dyce. 'We're all different athletes, different ages, from different backgrounds, but we really come together when we're out there on the field, and we just enjoy each other's company, and we work hard.'
Dan Noordman Photo
Manitoba Fearless defensive lineman Cassandra Omoerah goes for the tackle in the conference semifinal game.
'When we step on the field, we're like one family.'
The WWCFL Prairie and Western Conference Finals go Saturday, June 21, with the Regina Riot facing the reigning champion Saskatoon Valkyries, and the Edmonton Arctic Pride taking on the Calgary Rage.
zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca
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