September football season is here, and for women’s flag football programs across Ottawa, it’s bigger than ever.
From recreational leagues to university teams, women’s flag football has been picking up speed in the city as league signups climb to record highs.
The Ottawa Women’s Football league is among the organizations looking to drive the sport’s growth in the capital city.
The league was started by co-owner Stephanie Thinn in 2019 after she noticed the lack of flag football opportunities for young women and girls in Ottawa.
She was also inspired by flag football being selected as a new event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles for both men’s and women’s teams.
“There’s a pathway for the youth now where they can go compete at a higher level if they want, or stay recreational,” Thinn said. “They can say, ‘I could be the next Sara Parker’ or ‘I could be the next Vanita Krouch.’”
What began as eight teams in OWF’s main women’s program has grown to 19 this past summer. Their NFL Flag recreational league for youth also drew about 100 participants, with girls making up 60 per cent of the field, according to Thinn.
At the university level, a new pathway has opened for players who want to continue competing, thanks in part to Camara Wilson, who co-founded Carleton University’s women’s flag football competitive club team last year.
“Growing up, I didn’t have that much opportunity to play and be at a high level because there was one level to play or nothing at all,” Wilson said. “Now, there are amazing programs in the city, such as Ottawa Women’s Football, but there wasn’t something for us university girls.”
It took multiple attempts for Wilson to get the team running after she was denied by the Carleton University Students’ Association in 2022 and 2023.
Wilson was inspired to keep pushing by her late father, who played on Carleton’s men’s football team in the early 1990s.
“When I lost him, it was kind of like I lost myself in a way,” said Wilson.
“I was like, I need to start this Ravens team because I want to be a Raven like my dad and play football at Carleton, like my dad.”
Wilson’s efforts paid off, with her squad exceeding all expectations and going undefeated to convincingly win Division B in the 2024 5v5 Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Football Association season.
Sylina Wright, the team’s defensive captain, says she was proud to be part of last year’s inaugural season.
“It’s hard to build off of such an amazing season like the one we had last year,” Wright said. “We’re hungry, we’re determined, and we’re eager.”
“We really want to develop players once the majority of our program graduates and leaves after this year,” she added.
Luckily for Carleton’s team, there’s already new players in the mix who have made the squad from the Ottawa Next Flag (ONF) program, another brand new women’s flag football organization.
Started this year by Wilson, ONF, a skill development league, saw 60 participants in its first season, with Team Canada flag football players such as Sara Parker, Emma Rasine and Clara Beaudoin helping with coaching and development.
“We had to stop signups at one point because there were so many girls that wanted to come and play,” said Wilson. “We’re thinking we’re going to have maybe double the amount of girls next year, especially with us opening up to the younger age groups.”
Wilson says ONF has also been great for low-income households and girls who have never tried the sport before.
“I’ve had a lot of girls that were iffy and now they’re in love with the sport, and they’re like ‘When can I come back?’” Wilson said.
“As time goes on, women’s sports are being taken more seriously, and it’s so amazing to see how fast it’s growing.”
For Carleton’s team, Wilson says the goal is to move up to Division A in the Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Football Association and eventually reach varsity status.
Their first step comes on Oct. 19, when they compete in a qualifier tournament at Sheridan College in Oakville.
“I think people are starting to realize that women’s sports could be something big,” said Wilson. “We’re seeing the vision of what it could possibly be in the future if we actually give it a chance.”
Featured photo supplied by Camara Wilson
