AFL Canada AFL Canada (formerly the Canadian Australian Football Association, ) is the governing body for men's and women's Australian rules football in Canada. AFL Canada was formed on 30 July 2004, when the Canadian Australian Football Association chan ...

is the governing body for

Women's Australian rules football Women's Australian rules football (in areas where it is popular, known simply as women's football or women's footy or women's AFL), is the female-only form of Australian rules football, generally with some modification to the laws of the game. ...

competition in Canada. The primary competition is centred in the Canadian provinces of

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

and the national team is known as the "Northern Lights".

History

In 2004, the Toronto-based Etobicoke Kangaroos held footy development clinics at two local girls' schools; Bishop Strachan and St. Clement's School. The program culminated in the first all-female footy match played in Canada. The participation of senior women in Canadian footy grew dramatically during 2007, when the United States challenged Canada to a senior women's match preceding the Northwind versus Revolution game in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

in August at

Thunderbird Stadium Thunderbird Stadium is an outdoor stadium on the UBC Vancouver campus in British Columbia, Canada. It is located west of Vancouver's city limits, and is primarily used for soccer and football by the UBC Thunderbirds. It seats 3,500 in the main ...

in British Columbia. In preparation for that game, the

Calgary Kookaburras The Calgary Kookaburras is a ladies Australian rules football club based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They play at the Queen Elizabeth School, Hillhurst and are members of AFL Canada. They were the first women's football club formed in Canada ...

women's footy club was formed in Alberta – the first women's footy club in Canada and the first independent women's footy club outside of Australia. The Canadian National Team comprised 14 Calgary players and 6 players from Vancouver, and lost two matches against the USA Freedom. Later that year, Calgary went on to participate in the US National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. The first women's footy league in Canada was established in Alberta during 2008, involving players from Calgary and the surrounding district. The Hillhurst Nighthawks won the Alberta Premiership. The Calgary Kookaburras travelled to the US National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and won the women's division championship – defeating the Atlanta Lady Kookaburras in the final. The

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Emus joined the Alberta league in 2009 and competed alongside Calgary and the Vancouver-based WestCoast Wildcats at the 2009 Canadian National Championships. Calgary won the tournament. The Toronto-based Central Blues and the Montreal Angels, of

and

, respectively, formed as their provinces' first women's footy clubs in 2009.

AFL Canada National Championship Results – Women

Leagues

* Alberta Footy Women's League

Clubs

;Senior *

br>Official Site
* Edmonton Emusbr>Official Site
* Montreal Angel
Official Site
* Toronto Central Blue
Official Site
* West Coast Wildcats (Vancouver
Official Site
;Youth Girls * Alberta Footy Schools Program (Calgary) * North Delta Junior Football League (Vancouver
Official Site

National team

The Canadian national team debuted in 2007, when they played two matches against the United States at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. They competed as the "Eagles", were captained by Claire Brown and coached by Jake Anson, both of Calgary. In 2008, the team moniker changed to the "Northern Lights" to bring a distinct Canadian identity to the team and a national women's footy development program commenced. In July 2010, the Northern Lights defeated the USA Freedom in two matches played at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2011, the Northern Lights will participate in the 2011 International Cup tournament in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

References

External links

* "Girls' High Schools Show Footy Skills" AFL Canada websit

{{Aussie Rules in Canada Women's Australian rules football leagues, Can Australian rules football leagues in Canada Women's sports governing bodies in Canada