An Edmonton woman has introduced the city’s first female midget tackle football division.
Tanya Henderson says she created the league to make the sport more inclusive for younger girls. The new division gives girls the chance to play a level higher than Bantam, the previously highest level female football went up to in Edmonton.
“My endgame is really just creating more opportunities for girls and for women to continue to play football past university and high school.”
Girls have always been allowed to play in minor football leagues in the city. Henderson says the number of girls playing football typically begins to fall off as they hit high school – typically due to the size difference between boys and girls becoming an issue that parents don’t want to deal with.
Tanya hopes by creating this football division for girls there will be more female role-models in the football community for younger girls to look up to.
“I’m a firm believer that if you can’t see it you won’t be it.”
The league currently runs six-man football, which is mostly due to the four teams in the division not having enough players to play the traditional twelve-man.
Tanya hopes getting the word out will bring in more girls and give the girls in the division the opportunity to have the full football experience.
