Women’s
football league looking for players who love real tackling
By
Jessica Jones - Red Deer Advocate
Published: March 21, 2012 8:34 AM
Published: March 21, 2012 8:34 AM
The
Western Women’s Canadian Football League is a far cry from the controversial
spectacle of lingerie football. These women are in it solely for the love of
real tackle football.
The
Western Women’s Canadian Football League (WWCFL) is inviting females aged 16
and up to a league open house in Red Deer from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the west
soccer pitch inside the Collicutt Centre on Saturday.
The
organization is the first all-women’s inter-provincial tackle football league
in Western Canada.
Players
from the league’s Calgary Rage, Edmonton Storm and Lethbridge Steel will run
drills and set up demonstrations in the hope of drumming up interest in Central
Alberta.
Linda
Craig, president of the WWCFL, said they would love to add a fourth Alberta
team, and that the goal is to have a Red Deer team established by 2013.
“There
has always been women wanting to play tackle football and this is creating
something for girls who may have never known this was an option,” said Craig,
who has played tackle football for five years.
“We
dare you to come try it. It’s an amazing feeling inside that helmet. You can
know nothing and we will train you and take you from zero,” she said.
“We
certainly have never interacted with this group before so this is a first,”
said Rob Meckling, community and program facilitator with the City of Red Deer.
“The
league noticed there was a gap in Central Alberta and they were wanting to get
their foot in this area.”
Meckling
said the city received a call from a mother in Ponoka whose daughter plays on a
high school football team, expressing excitement at such a league having an
open house in Red Deer.
“You
hear just as many stories where girls are denied from their high school
football teams, where they try to break the male barrier of that sport and have
had a lot of difficulty,” Meckling said.
“It
is a rough sport, there is no doubt about it, but it doesn’t mean that it is
exclusive to men only.” Saturday’s open house is free and will give interested
participants the opportunity to speak with players from the teams and
participate in the drills.
There
is no skill level expectation. Equipment will be available on site.
“We
are going to continue with this group and discuss the possibilities of a league
game or exhibition game being played here in early July,” Meckling said.
For
more information on the WWCFL, visit www.wwcfl.com.
