Central Canadian Women's Football League

Last updated
A Canadian football CFL football.jpg
A Canadian football

The Central Canadian Women's Football League (CCWFL) is a full-contact Canadian football league supported by Football Quebec and Football Ontario. [1]

Originally founded in 2014, the league played its first season in 2022. [2] [3] [4] It thus became the third cross-province league for women's football in Canada, alongside the Western Women's Canadian Football League and the Maritime Women's Football League. [5]

In French, the league is named the Ligue centrale canadienne de football féminin(LCCFF). [4]

History

The Central Canadian league was first formed in 2014, intending to play a 2015 season. Football Canada made the announcement in April 2014 of an over-18s' women's tackle football league. [6] [7] Its official launch in July was attended by the premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, [8] and members of the Toronto Argonauts gave continuing support to the players. [8] [9] Aaron Ellis had founded the project so that his daughter Tianna could continue to play football after high school. [10] Teams would have been based in Mississauga, Hamilton, Scarborough and York Region. [8] However, the planned league did not materialize in 2015 due to lack of registered players. [11]

The Montreal Blitz had been established in 2001 [1] and won the American Independent Women's Football League championship in 2012. [12] [13] The Ottawa Capital Rebels were founded in early 2020. [5] [14]

The Blitz and Rebels were co-founders of the CCWFL when it announced its re-formation in 2021. The Ottawa team's co-founder Sonia Rodi, a football coach and former rugby player, said, "When I go to these [coaching] clinics, I’m always the only female", and made an effort to find female coaches. She wanted the team to become a source of inspiration to girls who play football and are excluded: "It’s easier for men because it’s a sport for them. But for women, we just have to work harder for everything." [1]

The league's first game was the Montreal Blitz versus the Quebec City Phoenix on May 14, 2022, at Stade Hébert, a 25–0 win for the Blitz, [15] who were undefeated by the end of the season on June 25. The Montreal team is coached by former quarterback Saadia Ashraf. [16] The Phoenix de Québec, from Quebec City, were newly founded in 2022. [2] Ottawa played their 2022 home games at Matt Anthony Field, University of Ottawa. [3] [17] Because some team rosters were undersized, the 2022 games were played as 9-versus-9 players. [17] [4]

The CCWFL commissioner is Andréanne Dupont-Parent, the Montreal Blitz's general manager and a former player for Canada in the 2010 World Championship. [18] Male CFL players who have been involved in training the CCWFL's players include Eddie Brown, Antoine Pruneau, and Samuel Thomassin. [14]

A 2023 season has been announced by the league, which aims to expand to include teams in Toronto and Trois-Rivières, [4] and elsewhere in Quebec and Ontario within five years. [3]

In May 2022, ten CCWFL players were selected for the primary Canada team roster at the American football 2022 World Championship. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Football League</span> Professional Canadian football league

The Canadian Football League is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a city in Canada. They are divided into two divisions: four teams in the East Division and five teams in the West Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa Rough Riders</span> Former Canadian Football League franchise

The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, in which they won five Grey Cups. The team's fortunes waned in the 1980s and 1990s, and they ultimately ceased operations following the 1996 season. Five years later, a new CFL team known as the Ottawa Renegades was founded, though they suspended operations in 2006. The Ottawa Redblacks, which own the Rough Riders and Renegades intellectual properties, joined the league in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Women's Football League</span> US womens American football league

The Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) was the first Women's American football league established by women players for women players. The league was founded in 2000, began play in 2001, and played its last season in 2018. Members of the original roster of the Austin Outlaws were the league's founders. Following the establishment of the league as a separate entity from the team, former outlaws players Laurie Frederick, Jaime Bailey and Sandra Plato became the original IWFL executive council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Junior Football League</span> Canadian football league

The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to professional football careers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football Canada</span>

Football Canada is the governing body for amateur gridiron football in Canada headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Football Canada focuses primarily its own Canadian form of the sport, and is currently the world's only national governing body for Canadian football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Pajaczkowski</span> Canadian football player (1936–2022)

Tony "Paj" Pajaczkowski was a Canadian professional football player. He was an all-star offensive guard in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal Blitz</span> Gridiron football team in Montreal, Canada

The Montreal Blitz is a women's gridiron football team, founded in 2001, which plays Canadian football in the Central Canadian Women's Football League. Previously, the team played American football in the Independent Women's Football League (2001–2016) and in the Women's Football Alliance. They are based at Dalbé-Viau High School in the borough of Lachine, in Montreal, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Sports football</span> University competition in Canadian football

U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports. Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. At the end of every season, the champions of each conference advance to semifinal bowl games; the winners of these meet in the Vanier Cup national championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ligue1 Québec</span> Football league

Ligue1 Québec (L1QC), formerly Première ligue de soccer du Québec, is a semi-professional men's and women's soccer league in Quebec, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Quebec Soccer Federation as a pro-am league in the Canadian soccer league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boseko Lokombo</span> American football player (born 1990)

Boseko Lokombo is a Congolese-Canadian professional Canadian football linebacker for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Oregon. Lokombo has also been a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Montreal Alouettes, and Toronto Argonauts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Boulay</span> Professional Canadian football linebacker

Nicolas Boulay is a Canadian football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted 30th overall in the 2013 CFL Draft by the Alouettes and signed with the team on May 13, 2013. He played CIS football with the Sherbrooke Vert et Or.

Jonathan Beaulieu-Richard was a Canadian professional football player who was a linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes, and Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2013 to 2016.

The 2015 CFL season was the 62nd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 58th Canadian Football League season. The Edmonton Eskimos won the 103rd Grey Cup on November 29, defeating the Ottawa Redblacks 26–20 in Winnipeg. The schedule was released February 13, 2015 and the regular season began on June 25, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoine Pruneau</span> Professional Canadian football defensive back

Antoine Pruneau is a former Canadian football defensive back who played for eight seasons for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Prior to being drafted into the CFL, he played Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) football for the Montreal Carabins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Tuck (Canadian football)</span>

James Tuck is a Canadian football fullback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Alouettes in the fourth round of the 2014 CFL Draft. He played CIS football at York. Tuck also played junior football for the Newmarket Storm of the Ontario Varsity Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Ruby</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1992)

Jacob Ruby is a Canadian football offensive lineman for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Previously, he played for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. Ruby played football throughout his youth and played for both high school and college teams. He was a 2010 graduate of Fork Union Military Academy. Ruby was a four-year starter at the University of Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avery Williams (linebacker)</span> American professional football player (born 1994)

Avery A. Williams Sr is an American professional football middle linebacker for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent after the 2017 NFL Draft. He played college football at Temple University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Ackie</span> Professional Canadian football linebacker

Chris Ackie is a former professional Canadian football linebacker. Ackie spent the majority of his professional career playing for the Montreal Alouettes Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks from 2011 to 2014. He was drafted fourth overall by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2015 CFL Draft. Ackie was also a member of the New York Giants, Ottawa Redblacks and Toronto Argonauts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ty Cranston</span> Canadian gridiron football defensive back (born 1994)

Ty Cranston is a professional Canadian football defensive back for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Organizers see world of opportunity w/ women's league". CFL. June 21, 2021. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Women's tackle football returns to Quebec, and they're looking for players". CBC News. March 1, 2022. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "New Canadian women's tackle football league comes to the nation's capital". CityNews. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Une première saison dans les livres pour les Capital Rebels d'Ottawa". Radio-Canada. June 19, 2022. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "'There will be bruises': Capital Rebels tackle male-dominated world of full-contact football". CBC News. February 15, 2020. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022.
  6. "CCWFL Official Launch". Football Canada. Apr 9, 2014. Archived from the original on Oct 8, 2015. "CCWFL – Lancement officiel". Football Canada. Apr 9, 2014. Archived from the original on Mar 28, 2017.
  7. "CCWFL Press Release 4-09-2014" (PDF). Football Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 "Women's football league launched". King Weekly Sentinel. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022.
  9. "Women, football and Argos". The Chronicle. Durham College. Oct 30, 2014. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022.
  10. McKnight, Zoe (July 26, 2014). "GTA dad-daughter bond behind women's football league". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on Jul 30, 2014.
  11. Staffieri, Mark (June 14, 2015). "CCWFL deserves an A for Effort". Fourth and Feminine. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
  12. "Le Blitz de Montréal remporte le Championnat Mondial de l'IWFL". Football Québec. Archived from the original on Feb 25, 2017.
  13. "Montreal Blitz are the 2012 IWFL World Champions!". IWFL Sports. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Une ligue féminine de football en Ontario et au Québec dès 2022". Le Droit. Aug 21, 2021. Archived from the original on Jul 8, 2022.
  15. "Montreal Blitz". Facebook . May 12, 2022. Le premier match contre le Phoenix
    "Montreal Blitz". Facebook . May 15, 2022. une victoire de 25-0 contre le Phoenix
  16. "Landry: Saadia Ashraf is a true builder of the game". CFL. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022.
  17. 1 2 "It's a hit! Canadian girls and women crushing stereotypes by playing tackle football". Ottawa Sun. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022.
  18. "Dupont-Parent aims to build through Als' experience". CFL. 2 June 2022. Archived from the original on Jul 8, 2022.
  19. "Team Canada National Women's Team Final Roster Set for Finland". Football Canada. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022.