World Footy News

Women's Australian football is on the rise in Canada. It started as a co-ed programme in 2003, and then a school girls clinic in 2004 culminating in the first ever all-female footy match played in Canada. Now momentum is building for an epic rematch against the USA Freedom team.

The participation of senior women in Canadian footy has grown dramatically since August 2007, when the United States challenged Canada to a senior women’s match preceding the men's Canada Northwind versus USA Revolution game in Vancouver at Thunderbird Stadium in British Columbia. In preparation for that game, the Calgary Kookaburras women’s footy club was formed in Alberta. The Canadian National Team then comprised of 14 Calgary players and 6 players from the NDJAFL, and lost two matches against the USA Freedom. Later that year, Calgary went on to participate in the US National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

While the first women’s footy league in Canada was only established in Alberta during 2008, involving players from Calgary and the surrounding district, we have since seen the sport explode and is now turning out players of a high calibre despite their brief time in the code. The Hillhurst Nighthawks won the Alberta Premiership in 2008, and 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.

Valuable experience is gained from these trips to the US National tournaments, and this year was an even bigger assignment, as most of the American teams had the advantage of players with newly gained skills from the US Freedom's tour to Australia. No mean feat with the Calgary Kookaburras making it through to the final once again, and despite not taking home the cup have no doubt made it a hard choice for the selectors choosing the team to play the USA Freedom in Toronto, July, 2010.

Nevertheless the Canadian Northern Lights have been named with the squad listed below:

(Player, Club)
Lori Benoit, Calgary
Lori Bossert, Calgary
Kourtenay Brooks, WestCoast
Marie Galick, Edmonton
Molly Gamble, Toronto Central
Marlena Ginocchio, WestCoast
Holly Greatwich, Calgary
Leslie Gurba, Calgary
Melanie Howard, Calgary
Jenna Jakes, WestCoast
Rebecca Jones, Calgary
Roxanne Kelly, Calgary
Sherelle Kelly-Witt, Toronto Central
Caitlin Kidd, Calgary
Erin LeBlanc, Calgary
Aimee Legault, Montreal
Margo Legault, Montreal
Lauren Mantei, WestCoast
Shelby McLean, Calgary/Victoria
Rachel Mrdeza, Calgary
Natasha Murphey, WestCoast
Katelyn Nanka, WestCoast
Amanda O'Rae, Calgary
Kate Ross, Calgary
Lyndsay Smith, Calgary
Stephanie Tooke, Edmonton
Kathryn Zakus, Calgary
Lesley Zmurchuk, Calgary
Reserves: Vicki Hewitt (Calgary), Krista Norsworthy (Edmonton), Lisa Tazzman (Toronto Central)

The team is coached by the very experienced (and former WFN correspondent) Jake Anson, who is currently working out a plan to get one of the more experienced players from Australia to come over and help develop the team. Add all this up, and we are set for a great match to go along with the team's great new and very Canadian guernseys.