Ottawa Capital Levels is one of three teams participating in the Central Canada Women’s Soccer League this summer.
A new women’s sports league is heading to the capital.
The Central Canada Women’s Soccer League (CCWFL) will play its first match on Saturday, May 14th in Saint-Leonard, Quebec, just north of Montreal.
The league offers women in Quebec and Ontario the opportunity to play football.
Andrian DuPont-Parent, Commissioner of CCWFL and General Manager of Montreal Blitz, said: “I think football is far behind the sport in terms of integrating women of all levels.”
So far, there are three teams in the league. Montreal Blitz, A team that has been part of the Independent Women’s Football League, an American football league that has existed since 2001 and reached its final season in 2018. The other two teams participating in CCWFL are with Quebec City Phoenix. Ottawa Capital Rebels..
The season consists of six games between three teams in May and June, but the league wants to focus on growth and expansion, so there are no playoff games or championships.
“We really want to focus on the growth of athletes, the growth of coaches and continue to do so,” said DuPont-Parent, a former CCWFL player. “We hope to add about 3-5 teams per state in 5 years.”
DuPont-Some of the strategies parents have emphasized regarding league growth include hosting camps in targeted markets outside the season. DuPont-Parents said the league would like to host the team in Toronto and Sudbury when it comes to expansion.
CCWFL wants to focus on the Quebec and Ontario markets simply because of the existence of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League (WWCFL) and the Maritime Women’s Soccer League (MWFL) in eastern Canada.
According to the Commissioner, the team is open to arranging tryouts for those who want to play, and DuPont-parents join some games this summer to get a feel for what this league is. Encourages those who are interested in doing it.
“This is a statement to think that everyone is there and women can do this,” DuPont-parents said.
The First game In the capital, at Matt Anthony Field at the University of Ottawa, scheduled for May 21st between Ottawa Capital Levels and Montreal Blitz.
