I heard there is a need for female officials in Canadian Football so I jumped on board to officiate this years football season.
No matter how nervous I am on the field, I am surrounded by encouragement from both the teams and fellow officials.
It can be an intimidating world, no matter who you are.
I questioned why I was even there until I caught the eye of the Clavet Cougars’ lone female player.
Her face lit up when she saw that there was a female official on the field.
That is why we need more females in all aspects of the world of football.
The need is growing because women’s presence in football is growing.
I hear many arguments to the tune of women will never be at the same level as men.
Playing tackle football, we had rookie players over the age of 25 starting at square one in Halifax because they never had the opportunity to start their football careers at a young age.
Getting them started at a young age they will develop right along with their male teammates. Women who love the game like the rest of the boys on the team will continue playing.
More women are playing high school football in all types; tackle, touch, and flag.
According to Lyle McKellar with the Saskatchewan High School Sports Association, there were 44 female players playing high school tackle football from 6 man juniors to 12 man teams in the 2015 season.
In the world of tackle football, the Canadian Interuniversity Sport which govern teams like the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Regina Rams do not allow women to play because in all technicality, it is considered the men’s football league and will not include female players unlike like the high school leagues.
Beyond that, there are no other forms of football within the CIS domain for these female footballers.
The creation and growth of leagues like the Western Women’s Football League, the Maritime Women’s Football League and the Independent Football League where the Montreal Blitz is the only Canadian team, are a sign that the popularity of the sport is growing with women.
These leagues are giving female athletes a chance to continue their football careers, unfortunately only within those cities.
With Football Canada and other interprovincial football leagues on the hunt for more females, getting females into the officials world is just one more opportunity for women to keep on with the sport.
How many women have been in the news lately because they are reaching high levels of coaching and officiating?
We are a long way from women playing in the CFL or NFL or even creating an equivalent league with the same level of sponsorship and support. But we need to encourage women to get there.
That Clavet Cougar may not remember me while she continues her football career but I will remember her as I continue mine.
We have to start somewhere and we can get there, one high school player at a time.
