Latest news with #tacklefootball
CBC
05-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
All-girls tackle football team in London takes the field, chasing 2nd provincial championship
An all-girls tackle football team in London is vying to secure its second provincial championship at the Ontario Women's Football League's (OWFL) semi-finals against Kingston this weekend. The U19 London WOLFPAAC was crowned the OWFL's first-ever winners in its inaugural year in 2023 and but lost by just one point in last year's finals. This year, with its largest roster of 30 players, the team is hoping to bring the trophy back home. For the players, it's more than just a victory they're chasing. They're also trying to set the stage for a growing number of young women taking up sports like tackle football, said Jessica Knight, 17, one of WOLFPAAC's captains. "Having been the first team ever to have [the OWFL] title means a lot to me because being a trailblazer for this sport is what's guided me through, making that impact, so future girls don't have to deal with the struggles of not knowing they're capable of, or being underestimated," she said. The girls look up to female athletes in professional leagues such as the WNBA and PWHL as role models who are paving the way for young girls interested in sport, said Knight. "A lot of people are shocked that tackle football is getting really popular," she said. "Now girls are getting paid to play football which is the dream for most of us. Seeing that, it's changing my whole mindset about what my future could look like." Expanding outreach to grow league But with a growing sport, come the challenges of getting the word out and encouraging new players to try football, regardless of their skill level, according to Alexa Taylor, 14, who joined WOLFPAAC after moving to London from Brantford. The hope is that will change. With tackle football set to become an Olympic sport in 2028, OWFL leagues have grown significantly in the last three years, said WOLFPAAC's president Scott Knight, adding that the first season only had three teams but that number has now jumped to 13. WOLFPAAC is expanding outreach to build a U16 team and a league of women who are aged 18+, and with the surge in interest, the team will soon be able to increase its six-on-six roster to nine-on-nine, said Scott, who is also Jessica Knight's dad. "Our goal is to promote women in every aspect of the game," he said. For others, an all-girls squad brings a sense of community and camaraderie. It's one of the reasons why Laryssa Stoyko, 14, from Moncton, N.B. joined the team this season. Both Stokyo and Taylor have previously played on co-ed teams, and although they describe it as a good introduction to tackle football, the lifelong friends they've made on this team has been an additional benefit, they said. "With WOLFPAAC, we're so much more coordinated and we've really grown together," said Stoyko. Last week, the team finished first place in Ontario and advanced to the playoffs undefeated, with only three touchdowns all season. With a big game against the Kingston Sharks on the horizon, WOLFPAAC plans to continue its winning streak, said Knight. "Obviously it's another undefeated team we're playing against and we've played teams that are ranked higher than us and have the same amount of wins we do, but we're going to go in and play and that's all that matters," she said. "We're going to stick together as a family and the only people that can beat WOLFPAAC mentally is our own team." Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday at London's City Wide Sports Park.
Associated Press
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Photos of women's tackle football show opportunities for female athletes in a game dominated by men
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Tackle football has been played and enjoyed by women for decades, but until now mostly under the radar. Two leagues have raised their profile as interest in women's sports grows. This gallery curated by AP photo editors shows the progress being made. ___ AP sports:
Al Arabiya
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Women's Tackle Football Gives Female Athletes Opportunities in a Game Dominated by Men
Football players were running, throwing, catching, blocking, and tackling – with a steady stream of trash talk between whistles – as the sun set on a recent night in the Motor City. Other banged-up athletes stood or sat on benches behind each sideline, ailing from a torn calf and a torn knee ligament, unable to play in a game watched by about 100 fans cheering for the home team and 11 people backing the visiting squad from Canada. While the action and the setting were not unusual, the gender of the players did stand out. 'We do it all just like the boys,' Detroit Prowl punter Kelly Bernadyn said. 'But we're women.' Women have been playing tackle football for decades, mostly under the radar, but two league commissioners believe it will be part of the next wave as interest in women's sports grows. When Detroit beat the MIFA All-Stars of Ontario in an American Women's Football League game at Allen Park High School, daughters, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers experienced the joy of big plays and camaraderie along with the pain of inevitable injuries. After a postgame handshake line along the 50-yard line, the black-clad Prowl and the visitors in pink gathered on the visitors' sideline to celebrate their sisterhood and shared goal of growing the sport. 'You just begin to love these girls around you,' said MIFA All-Stars quarterback Rachel Vesz, who is from Toronto and played rugby at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. 'And you all support each other.' Despite the inherent risk of injuries in football, women are choosing to join pay-for-play leagues for the love of the game and to inspire young girls to play a game traditionally limited to men. 'I use my own health insurance when I am injured, same with all of my other teammates,' said Bernadyn, who works as an EMT and fitness instructor. 'But at the end of the day, it's worth every dollar I've paid. It's worth every ice pack I've needed to use, every day of rest, every cast, every boot, because I know that I'll be able to line up on that football field again.' The Prowl lost their bid for a second straight AWFL title with a first-round loss in the 14-team playoffs that wrap up with the league's second championship game July 12 at West Charlotte High School in North Carolina, streaming on BAWLLR TV. The AWFL has 18 teams from eight states and Canada. Two leagues, meanwhile, have raised their profile enough to have women competing for championships on ESPN2 in high-end venues. The Women's National Football Conference will have its title game on the network for the first time on Saturday. The Washington Prodigy will face the Texas Elite Spartans in Frisco, Texas, at the Dallas Cowboys' Ford Center, which has about 12,000 seats. 'When someone sees the WNFC for the first time, it opens up the possibilities,' said Odessa Jenkins, founder of the WNFC. 'It's like, 'What a minute. Women play tackle football?' There's no greater joy than to open up new possibilities for yourself and others.' The WNFC does not pay salaries but does plan to give a total of $20,000 to the players on the championship team and did budget to pay weekly and season award winners, thanks in part to financial support from Adidas, Dove, and Riddell. The Women's Football Alliance does not pay players either, but some of their costs are covered by sponsors such as Wilson, ticket sales, and licensing rights. The WFA will be back on the network for its championship game on July 26 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, where MVP jerseys from previous title games are on display. 'This new contract with ESPN is a testament to the high level of football played on the field, contributing to the growing popularity of our league on a national and international level,' WFA Commissioner Lisa King said. Former WFA players include Katie Sowers, who became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl as an offensive assistant in San Francisco, and Jennifer King, who was the first Black female full-time coach in the NFL in 2021 when she was Washington's assistant running backs coach. Jennifer King, who is on the WNFC advisory board, hopes the sport's top two leagues find a way forward together. 'When you have two champions, you want to know who's the best,' she said. 'It would be great to have one Super League, but it would be really hard to do because both of the leagues are far down the road.' Sowers agrees. 'A big issue is everyone has an idea of who can do it best,' she said. 'We need to come together and create one powerhouse league that has more resources.' The NFL is investing a lot in flag football, which will be an Olympic sport in 2028. The league did give women's tackle football a platform at halftime of the Pro Bowl in 2020 when 22 players from the Utah Girls Football League were featured in a scrimmage. Former NFL offensive tackle Roman Oben, the league's vice president of football development, applauded the commitment women are making to play tackle football. 'It's been really commendable to see the growth of the sport,' Oben said. 'There isn't a formal partnership with the NFL, but there have been discussions with a few of the leagues. We're aware these women are paying to play for pads, insurance, equipment, and travel, and they should be applauded.' Jenkins said flag football will ultimately have the same effect on women's tackle football as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have had on the WNBA, and the sport will benefit from the increased interest in girls and women playing basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, and more. 'Flag football is putting the ball in the hands of more girls and women than ever, and it's going to create the greatest pipeline in the history of the sport,' Jenkins said. 'Women have been playing tackle football for 60 years, but now we have brands everyone knows stepping up to alleviate some of the financial pressure on our players, and that's what it is going to take to move it past a club level.'
Associated Press
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Women's tackle football gives female athletes opportunities in a game dominated by men
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Football players were running, throwing, catching, blocking and tackling — with a steady stream of trash talk between whistles — as the sun set on a recent night in the Motor City. Other banged-up athletes stood or sat on benches behind each sideline, ailing from a torn calf and a torn knee ligament, unable to play in a game watched by about 100 fans cheering for the home team and 11 people backing the visiting squad from Canada. While the action and the setting was not unusual, the gender of the players did stand out. 'We do it all just like the boys,' Detroit Prowl punter Kelly Bernadyn said. 'But we're women.' Women have been playing tackle football for decades, mostly under the radar, but two league commissioners believe it will be part of the next wave as interest in women's sports grows. When Detroit beat the MIFA All-Stars of Ontario in an American Women's Football League game at Allen Park High School, daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers experienced the joy of big plays and camaraderie along with the pain of inevitable injuries. After a postgame handshake line along the 50-yard line, the black-clad Prowl and the visitors in pink gathered on the visitors' sideline to celebrate their sisterhood and shared goal of growing the sport. 'You just begin to love these girls around you,' said MIFA All-Stars quarterback Rachel Vesz, who is from Toronto and played rugby at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. 'And, you all support each other.' Walking wounded Despite the inherent risk of injuries in football, women are choosing to join pay-for-play leagues for the love of the game and to inspire young girls to play a game traditionally limited to men. 'I use my own health insurance when I am injured, same with all of my other teammates,' said Bernadyn, who works as an EMT and fitness instructor. 'But at the end of the day, it's worth every dollar I've paid. 'It's worth every ice pack I've needed to use, every day of rest, every cast, every boot, because I know that I'll be able to line up on that football field again.' Playing for championships The Prowl lost their bid for a second straight AWFL title with a first-round loss in the 14-team playoffs that wrap up with the league's second championship game July 12 at West Charlotte High School in North Carolina, streaming on BAWLLR TV. The AWFL has 18 teams from eight states and Canada. Two leagues, meanwhile, have raised their profile enough to have women competing for championships on ESPN2 in high-end venues. The Women's National Football Conference will have its title game on the network for the first time on Saturday. The Washington Prodigy will face the Texas Elite Spartans in Frisco, Texas, at the Dallas Cowboys' Ford Center, which has about 12,000 seats. 'When someone sees the WNFC for the first time, it opens up the possibilities,' said Odessa Jenkins, founder of the WNFC. 'It's like, 'What a minute. Women play tackle football?' There's no greater joy than to open up new possibilities for yourself and others.' The WNFC does not pay salaries, but does plan to give a total of $20,000 to the players on the championship team and did budget to pay weekly and season award winners thanks in part to financial support from Adidas, Dove and Riddell. The Women's Football Alliance does not pay players either, but some of their costs are covered by sponsors such as Wilson, ticket sales and licensing rights. The WFA will be back on the network for its championship game on July 26 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, where MVP jerseys from previous title games are on display. 'This new contract with ESPN is a testament to the high level of football played on the field contributing to the growing popularity of our league on a national and international level,' WFA Commissioner Lisa King said. Two better than one? Former WFA players include Katie Sowers, who became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl as an offensive assistant in San Francisco, and Jennifer King, who was the first Black female full-time coach in the NFL in 2021 when she was Washington's assistant running backs coach. Jennifer King, who is on the WNFC advisory board, hopes the sport's top two leagues find a way forward together. 'When you have two champions, you want to know who's the best,' she said. 'It would be great to have one Super League, but it would be really hard to do because both of the leagues are far down the road.' Sowers agrees. 'A big issues is, everyone has an idea of who can do it best,' she said. 'We need to come together and create one powerhouse league that has more resources.' Flag on the field The NFL is investing a lot in flag football, which will be an Olympic sport in 2028. The league did give women's tackle football a platform at halftime of the Pro Bowl in 2020, when 22 players from the Utah Girls Football League were featured in a scrimmage. Former NFL offensive tackle Roman Oben, the league's vice president of football development, applauded the commitment women are making to play tackle football. 'It's been really commendable to see the growth of the sport,' Oben said. 'There isn't a formal partnership with the NFL, but there have been discussions with a few of the leagues. We're aware these women are paying to play for pads, insurance, equipment and travel and they should be applauded.' Flag football, Jenkins said, will ultimately have the same effect on women's tackle football as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have had on the WNBA and the sport will benefit from the increased interest in girls and women playing basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball and more. 'Flag football is putting the ball in the hands of more girls and women than ever and it's going to create the greatest pipeline in the history of the sport,' Jenkins said. 'Women have been playing tackle football for 60 years, but now we have brands everyone knows stepping up to alleviate some of the financial pressure on our players and that's what it is going to take to move it past a club level.' ___ Follow Larry Lage on X ___ AP sports:
Associated Press
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Women's tackle football has 2 leagues whose championship games are on ESPN2
Women have been playing tackle football for decades, usually under the radar. Two leagues, operating independently, are helping the sport get more attention. The Women's Football Alliance will be back on ESPN2 for its championship game on July 26 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, where MVP jerseys from previous title games are on display. The Women's National Football Conference will have its title game on ESPN2 for the first time, live on Saturday from the Dallas Cowboys' Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. The Washington Prodigy will face the Texas Elite Spartans in the title game. In its sixth season, the league has 17 teams from 14 states and Washington, D.C. The WFA was founded in 2009 and participation has increased by 300% since its debut season, according to Commissioner Lisa King. It has 12 teams from nine states and D.C. in its top level and a total of 55 squads in three divisions. The WFA also has international teams in Europe, Africa, South America and North America. Like the WFA, the WNFC does not pay salaries. The WNFC does plan to give a total of $20,000 to the players on the championship team and did budget to pay weekly and season award-winners thanks in part to support from sponsors such as Adidas, Dove and Riddell. WFA sponsors, which include Wilson, along with ticket sales and licensing rights cover some of the players' costs. ___ AP sports:
