The world's largest and longest running women's football organization is eyeing Red Deer as a possible location for an expansion team.
This past week, the Women's Football Alliance announced it is partnering with sports marketing company Cosmos Sports and Entertainment to immediately lead the search for Canadian ownership groups interested in bringing women’s football teams to cities across the country.
"Tackle football is popular in lots of places in Canada, but nowhere more so than the Prairies," said Cary Kaplan, Cosmos Sports president.
"There are six to 10 cities that would be optimal fits (in the Prairies). In Alberta, you look at Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer as markets with a history of women's football. The CFL is huge (in those areas) and people follow the NFL too. It feels like a natural place for the WFA to start in Canada."
The WFA is now actively inviting qualified ownership groups to express interest in launching Canadian franchises to compete in a newly formed Canadian division. For more information or to express interest in owning a Canadian WFA franchise, people can contact Cosmos Sports at wfa@cosmossports.com.
"We'd like to know who the ownership groups are by the end of August," said Kaplan.
"We're less driven by the market and more driven by the ownership group. I think Red Deer would be a great spot, but the next step is to find a group that wants to champion a team in Red Deer. That's the big step. We want a serious ownership group. ... If you're interested in owning a team and have a connection to Red Deer, get a hold of us because we're going to move quickly."
Kaplan said growth has been "meteoric" in women's sports like soccer and hockey over the past few years.
"There's no reason that tackle football for women can't do the same thing," he said.
"The WFA is in major markets, such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston and Dallas. There's been a lot of success. ESPN had 1.3 million viewers for women's tackle football. People in Canada are less familiar with the sport, it's not played at Canadian universities. But there is a lot of women's tackle football across North America. We have no doubt that the players, coaches and manager will be there."
Founded in 2009, the WFA includes more than 60 teams across the United States and operates with a tiered structure, headlined by its elite Pro Division, which features 12 of the top women’s tackle football teams in the world.
“The WFA has spent over 15 years building the strongest foundation in women’s tackle football, and our franchise model is designed to support long-term success for owners and communities alike,” said Lisa King, WFA commissioner.
“We’re proud to partner with Cosmos Sports and Entertainment to expand our footprint and bring new ownership groups into a league that’s growing rapidly in visibility, investment, and impact.”
