U Sports adding women’s flag football pilot for 2027-28 season

One of Canada’s fastest growing sports will include official U Sports participation on campuses across the country starting next year.

This week at their annual meetings, U Sports voted to approve women’s flag football as a pilot sport for the 2027-28 athletic season.

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It’s the second sport after tennis to be included as a pilot sport, which will include collaboration between U Sports and Football Canada to develop a framework for competition as well as a five-year window to achieve full-sport status going forward.

The decision comes on the heels of the International Olympic Committee’s move to include flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles for the first time.

Women’s flag football was previously designated a varsity sport at campuses across Canada, with the Canadian Collegiate Flag Football Championship being held each year by Football Canada since 2022.

Most recently, Regina hosted the 2026 national championship in early May with two teams representing the University of Regina and one from the University of Saskatchewan taking part.

U Sports has not yet announced how many universities will be fielding teams in 2027-28, as well as the location of the inaugural Football Canada / U Sports women’s flag football championship.

Football Canada chair Jo-Anne Polak joined The Green Zone on Wednesday to discuss the landmark decision to add women’s flag football at the U Sports level.

Listen to the full interview, or read the transcript below:

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

THE GREEN ZONE: Can you believe we are at this point where flag football is in the Olympics and U Sports? How surprised are you of the growth of this variation of football?

JO-ANNE POLAK: I think because we’re so close to it here at Football Canada, I’ve been watching it grow and watching the momentum build. Now, it’s almost like everybody is discovering it.

I can honestly tell you I knew back 35 years ago that women love football. I know that at (Mosaic Stadium) on Saturday night, half of the people in the stands are going to be women. It was that way with us back 35 years ago and now women get to play football in a meaningful way, and are loving it.

I look at it like rolling thunder. We’ve been watching it grow, and grow, and grow. We’ve been watching women get more and more involved, then you add the Olympics piece which just blows my mind.

What U Sport announced (Wednesday) was so important, because what we have now is we have a complete, equal system. From the very beginning with young, little girls right through to highly competitive and right through to the Olympics. Now, everybody sees the momentum that we’ve been watching for quite some time.

GREEN ZONE: There’s a five-year window before flag football gets a full-sport status. Is there an expectation of numbers with where (Football Canada) wants to get to?

POLAK: I think U Sports really understands their industry and understands their teams, their properties and they know the best way to do this properly. We’ve waited this long to build this rolling thunder and we want to make sure we do it right.

I long stopped predicting flag (football), I got to tell you that. I long stopped predicting where this is going to go, but it is undeniable now. The growth, the momentum, the passion, the talent that we’re seeing from coast to coast, now people are starting to notice. With the U Sports announcement, more and more people are all of a sudden going, ‘Oh, what’s going on over here?’

GREEN ZONE: What are you seeing numbers wise on the participation level among young girls that are progressing in this sport?

POLAK: It’s moving so quickly, our numbers are not kept. We don’t have the data that we need, we’re working on that now. To be able to give you meaningful numbers, right now I’d just be making it up.

All I know is that the demand is growing, the numbers are growing and the anecdotal (stories) are growing. I wish I could quantify it for you, I promise you by this time in about six months we will have it all quantified.

GREEN ZONE: Where do you stand on if flag football will take over from tackle football or is it a good thing for the sport?

POLAK: I’m 100 per cent in the camp that this is good for all football. Remember, I’m a tackle (football) person. I’ve never played, but that’s my origins. That’s where I come from and that’s my love. Football is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and it’s the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night, I’m not kidding.

I remember listening to (CFL commissioner) Stewart Johnston talk about this and he said the more footballs that are in kids’ hands, the better it is for the sport, all of the sport. I’ve been watching it over the years decline, decline and decline (in) tackle football in a lot of different areas where parents didn’t necessarily want their kids involved in a sport that was perceived as dangerous. Well, this answers that. This makes it a lot more accessible and available. The more people who have their hands on footballs, the more football fans that there will be.

GREEN ZONE: How important is the growth in the overall momentum, not only in football, but all sports for women?

POLAK: This is a powerful statement about expanding opportunities for women in sport. Any and all opportunities that women have, just warms my heart.

I think back to when I was a little girl and flag football is not new. They’ve been playing flag football since I was a kid, but I remember watching it and it was all men. Back in the 60s and early 70s there was no women’s organized team sports, it didn’t exist.

To watch it explode like it has, especially in the past five to 10 years, watching women have opportunities that when I was a little girl you didn’t even think possible is extraordinary. The one thing that is undeniable is that when young people play organized sports, the life lessons are immeasurable.

Men have always had this opportunity and women just sat on the sidelines and watched. Now, women are involved and you’re going to see the impact that has on society as a whole is enormous.

GREEN ZONE: Does Football Canada have a plan to promote flag football with the youth in other markets in Canada?

POLAK: That is 100 per cent our plan. The Olympic team is awesome, I think U Sports is awesome, but what I can’t wait for is more and more young people to be able to play this sport.

It doesn’t surprise me that Saskatchewan is leading the way, Quebec is also leading the way. Flag football in Quebec, both women’s and men’s, is very, very advanced and they’ve been playing for a while.

I’m going to declare a bias, I am a football person and I know Saskatchewan is the greatest football province in the country. I really believe that to my soul. I am not surprised with so many people being football fans, loving it and watching it, having the opportunity to participate or have your children participate is a gift. It doesn’t surprise me at all that Saskatchewan is leading the pack and we’re also starting to see it in all of the other provinces as well.

GREEN ZONE: What do you think of the rule changes to the CFL announced by commissioner Stewart Johnston?

POLAK: I think (Stewart) Johnston is an excellent commissioner and I think we’re lucky to have him. As a season ticket holder, which is basically my role now, I have to trust the people who are running the league to be able to do what they think is the best in the long-term for the sport.

Read more:

• Saskatoon Mamba guard Jamir Chaplin thankful for CEBL return after leg amputation scare
• Hidden talents of the Saskatchewan Roughriders revealed
• Riders announce new pre-game fan events ahead of home opener