Tackling expectations

Winnipeg Free Press

4 days ago

A sense of belonging, confidence and strength.
The Manitoba Girls Football Association, founded in 2011, has had some ups and downs over the years, but some things stay the same for the girls who participate in Manitoba's first and only female tackle program of its kind in Western Canada.
Currently made up of four teams — the East Side Eagles, St. Vital Mustangs, North Winnipeg Nomads and Falcons Football Club — the MGFA is in full swing a month into the spring season.
Dan Nordman Photo
The Manitoba Girls Football Association, founded in 2011, is Manitoba's first and only female tackle program of its kind in Western Canada.
'Our league welcomes everybody,' said MGFA co-founder Lisa Cummings. 'Every body shape, every size, there's a place for everybody on the football field. It's not like every other sport. You can be slower, you can be faster, it doesn't really matter. Everybody serves a purpose and is celebrated on a football field for just who they are.'
The league began with the goal of giving younger girls the chance to play football, and with support from Football Manitoba and word of mouth, it grew at a steady rate.
Over 14 years, the MGFA has seen seasons with as few as three teams and as many as 12, including four junior and eight senior squads.
In 2019, the MGFA was at its peak, and was able to host the first-ever high-performance tournament for girls in football, featuring teams from Manitoba and Saskatchewan in the U18 Red River Cup.
But just as things were on the rise, the pandemic hit, bringing everything to a standstill and halting the league's momentum.
Dan Nordman Photo
A successful tackle drill at the Girls Come Try Football Free Camp this spring.
Five years later, the six-a-side spring league has worked itself back up with players ranging from grades 9 to 12 on the current four teams.
'We have a lot of new players this year,' said Julie Sprague, MGFA registrar and former player and coach. 'Lots of teams are getting a lot of experience and developing as players. It's nice because teams also have some leaders from previous years who are helping the new girls fall in love with the sport.'
Teams like the Mustangs and the Nomads have been around for a while, the Mustangs since the league's inaugural season, and the Nomads since the league's sophomore year. The Falcons and Eagles are the newer teams this season — though, the Eagles were one of the league's founding teams before the club had to take a few years off.
It can be a bit tougher for newer teams to find their footing, as shown in the MGFA standings, where the Mustangs lead the league with a perfect record after four games, followed by the Nomads at 3-1.
'That happens with every sport, it just takes time,' said Cummings. 'Regardless of the wins or losses on the scoreboard, there's all these little individual wins, and our coaches do a great job of celebrating those wins.'
Dan Nordman Photo
Girls Come Try Football Free Camps, which the MGFA has offered since 2022 for girls ages 11 to 18, have played an important role in building interest.
For Sprague, who currently plays on the Manitoba Fearless, which competes in the Western Women's Canadian Football League, says that her time in the MGFA gave her a sense of family and community.
'Our goal with this league is to give girls the opportunity to play a sport where every single person can be supported,' she said.
Growing the league is also a priority, but rising competition from spring flag football and rugby, both with overlapping seasons, has made that challenge tougher.
'It's just about finding the right time of year that the girls don't have to make a decision between two different sports,' said Cummings.
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However, initiatives like the Girls Come Try Football Free Camps, which the MGFA has offered since 2022 for girls ages 11 to 18, have played an important role in building interest.
Dan Nordman Photo
Prepping for a blocking drill at the Girls Come Try Football Free Camp in March.
New players have also been introduced to the sport through the Falcons' partnership with Sagkeeng First Nation, which helped the Falcons Football Club establish its first senior girls' team in 2023. Girls from Sagkeeng First Nation bus in three days a week to play football.
'I have seen girls who have started to come out to football, they barely say a word,' said Cummings. 'And by the time they have finished their years in the MGFA, they're completely different people and they've built a community around themselves as well.'
The next games go Thursday at 7 p.m. with the Falcons facing off against the Mustangs at the St. Vital Mustangs Football Club field, while the Nomads take on the Eagles simultaneously at the Northwood CC — Frank Whyte Site.
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Dan Nordman Photo
Girls line up for ball carrying drills at the Girls Come Try Football Free Camp this spring.