Airdrie sporting history was made on May 15, as the Airdrie Raiders all-girl tackle football team took to the field for their inaugural game.
While the final score didn't end in favour of the Raiders, who fell 58-32 to the Calgary Wildcats at Shouldice Athletic Park, head coach Chris Glass said it was great for the U17 girls' squad to take on another team in a competitive match-up, after practicing together for a few weeks.
“It was the first ever [all-girls tackle football game] in Calgary history, and we were the first team in our division to play,” said Glass, who is coaching the team alongside Gina Horwood, Parkey Ney, and Trent Ney. “We’re the first tackle football team out of Airdrie, so it’s nice to be part of history and watch the girls pave the path for someone else to follow next year.”
The new, Calgary-based league was announced earlier this year, after gaining approval from Football Alberta and Calgary Bantam Football Association. The four-team league includes sides from Airdrie, Calgary, Lacombe, and Wetaskiwin, and caters to high-school-aged female athletes. The teams play a seven-vs.-seven format of tackle football on Sundays at Shouldice.
Glass said the Airdrie players brought plenty of energy to the opening snaps.
“They didn’t have the nerves I thought they’d have,” he said, noting Airdrie's players threw and ran well. “They were pretty ready to go. Once we got the first couple of plays off and started to see some success, it was neat to see the reaction and how excited they were to actually be playing against somebody else.”
Though the Raiders' roster includes a few girls who have played co-ed tackle football before at the bantam and peewee level, Glass said having a girls-only team for local athletes who are interested in football is a great way to encourage girls to take up the sport in their teenage years.
“It’s exciting to see a version of this sport tailor-made for them,” he said.
Early into the game on Sunday, a huge cheer went up after Raiders quarterback Grace Baron and receiver Zoe Lang linked up to complete the first pass in the fledgling league's history.
“I thought that was pretty historic [and] Zoe ended up having a great game,” Glass said.
The Airdrie team will take a break over the May long weekend before returning to the gridiron on May 29.
