Western Women's Canadian Football League
| Sport | Canadian football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| President | Angelique Chenard |
| Commissioner | Shawn Walter |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Saskatoon Valkyries |
| Most titles | Saskatoon Valkyries (7) |
| Official website | wwcfl |
The Western Women's Canadian Football League (WWCFL) is a full-contact women's Canadian football league which began play in the spring of 2011. The league plays an annual season in the spring or summer, and with eight teams it is the largest women's football league in Canada. The teams play 12-woman tackle football games using the Football Canada rules, somewhat similar to those of the Canadian Football League. The league has teams in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta (the Prairie Provinces).
League history
Katrina Krawec wrote, "The WWCFL is a non-profit sport organization that provides women with opportunities to play football",[1] and "The distribution of power in the WWCFL is decentralized and democratic", with each team having one representative on the league board alongside elected members.[1]
The first season of play, 2011, ended with a championship game which was played in the city of Lethbridge, Alberta. The game was played between the Edmonton Storm and the Saskatoon Valkyries. The Valkyries became the first WWCFL Champions, with a final score of 35–7.
The WWCFL's second year (2012) saw the same seven teams compete. The championship game was held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with the Saskatoon Valkyries defending their title by defeating the Lethbridge Steel 64–21.[2]
Two new teams joined the league in 2013. The Northern Anarchy was based in Grande Prairie, Alberta.[3] and the Okotoks Lady Outlawz in Okotoks, Alberta.[4] Talks involved the league going as high as 11 teams for 2013, including expansion into British Columbia,[3] but it never occurred. In 2014, the Okotoks Lady Outlawz did not field a team for WWCFL play, and suspended operations. The Northern Anarchy took a break in 2015,[5] although practice sessions continued,[5] and the Anarchy returned to the field in the 2016 season.[6]
On March 29, 2020, the league cancelled its season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8] The 2021 season was also cancelled, for the same reason.[9] The WWCFL returned to action in the 2022 season, for the first time since 2019.[10][11]
Teams
Western Conference
Prairie Conference
Suspended operations
| Team | Location | Home Field |
|---|---|---|
| Okotoks Lady Outlawz | High River, Alberta | High River High Field |
| Northern Anarchy | Grande Prairie, Alberta | Legion Field |
WWCFL Championship results
| Year | Winner | Loser | Score | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Saskatoon Valkyries | Edmonton Storm | 35-7 | |
| 2012 | Saskatoon Valkyries | Lethbridge Steel | 64-21 | |
| 2013 | Saskatoon Valkyries | Lethbridge Steel | 27-13 | |
| 2014 | Saskatoon Valkyries | Lethbridge Steel | 53-0 | |
| 2015 | Regina Riot | Edmonton Storm | 53-6 | |
| 2016 | Saskatoon Valkyries | Edmonton Storm | 81-6 | [12] |
| 2017 | Regina Riot | Calgary Rage | 53-0 | [13] |
| 2018 | Regina Riot | Saskatoon Valkyries | 14-10 | |
| 2019 | Saskatoon Valkyries | Regina Riot | 25-3 | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | [7] | ||
| 2021 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | [9] | ||
| 2022 | Saskatoon Valkyries | Manitoba Fearless | 36-6 | |
See also
External links
- "Shaping and Being Shaped: Examining Women's Tackle Football in Canada", by Katrina Krawec – University of Windsor, 2014
References
- ^ a b Krawec, Katrina (2014). "Shaping and Being Shaped: Examining Women's Tackle Football in Canada". University of Windsor. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Valkyries win championship, remain perfect" Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Saskatoon, July 16, 2012. Retrieved on July 21, 2012
- ^ a b "Grande Prairie getting gridiron gals" Daily Herald Tribune, Grande Prairie, September 27, 2012. Retrieved on December 11, 2012
- ^ Greer, Remy (February 29, 2012). "Foothills ladies hit the gridiron". Okotoks Western Wheel. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- ^ a b Oatway, Jenny (May 8, 2015). "NORTHERN ANARCHY WOMEN'S FOOTBALL REGROUPING FOR 2016". My Grande Prairie Now. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Clow, Logan (May 5, 2016). "Northern Anarchy set for gridiron season opener". Daily Herald Times. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ a b "SCHEDULE: WWCFL League Update". Western Women's Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ Johnstone, Natalie (April 3, 2020). "WWCFL Will Have To Wait Until 2021". Strathmore Now. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "About WWCFL". WWCFL. 2021. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021.
- ^ Kucey, Jaclyn (May 1, 2022). "Lethbridge Steel come out rusty against Calgary Rage in WWCFL season opener". Global News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022.
- ^ Bonnyman, Clare (May 21, 2022). "Edmonton Storm tackling stigma around women's football". CBC News.
- ^ "Saskatoon Valkyries take back WWCFL championship". CBC News. June 25, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Regina Riot captures WWCFL championship". Leader-Post. June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
