Saskatoon is lucky enough to be the home of many football teams such as our own Huskies, the Hilltops and the single most successful team in the Western Women’s Canadian Football League — the Saskatoon Valkyries.

Since the inception of the organization in 2011, the Valkyries have won the WWCFL championship five out of six years, proving themselves to be quite the powerhouse.

The Saskatoon Valkyries have been WWCFL Champions in five out of six of their seasons.

The Valkyries were born out of the strong levels of dedication, promise and talent shown by the women of Saskatoon and area. The team was formed following Team Canada tryouts that saw future Valkyrie players making the national roster, despite not playing in an organized league. From there, the organization began to take shape.

Jeff Yausie has been with the team as head coach since 2011. He became involved with the Valkyries through his full-time job at Football Canada, and although he has successfully risen to the task of head coach, it was not a role he planned to fill himself — until he began working with the first group of women he would go on to coach.

“We were trying to recruit coaching staff and I was running practice in the winter, and it was minus 35 degrees and we’re practicing in the gym in February and I thought — ‘holy smokes,’” Yausie said. “There’s like 25 women practicing in a gym in the middle of the winter and I was impressed by the commitment and [the] women’s passion for the game.”

According to Yausie, the wider community has been one of the team’s greatest assets — from the caliber of players who make up the team to those on the sidelines, and particularly the coaches who have taken on the task of teaching players with limited experience to not only play but excel at an elite level.

“Part of our success is the volunteers within Saskatoon and the way the community has embraced the team,” Yausie said. “We had no trouble recruiting excellent coaches which, I think, has certainly contributed to our success.”

The Valkyries’ fan base continues to grow with games drawing between 400 and 800 spectators. This boosts the team’s morale and has been one thing that was noted as a great change since the initial years of the team, as voiced by sixth-year player Jaime Lammerding.

“Even at our games, you can see the difference now. People come because they like watching football,” Lammerding laughed, as she spoke of how the crowd has grown beyond just people players know personally. “So we have fans that aren’t friends or family, they just come because they like it.”

The increased popularity has not only led more fans to the games, but players to the field as well. In 2015, the roster consisted of 50 players, compared to 34 in 2011. The roster itself has also gotten younger, with the average age of the team shifting from early 30s to early 20s, further adding to the promising future of the team. Even with the growth, everyone from every level of experience is still welcome to come try it out.

Lammerding added that the camaraderie developed between teammates is one of the most rewarding experiences of playing for the Valkyries.

“It’s such a family kind of atmosphere that you get. You know, once you get on the team and you start doing stuff, everybody becomes very good friends with each other,” Lammerding said.

Current University of Saskatchewan student Alex Wojcichowsky has been with the Valkyries for four years and has some encouraging words for any women that would be interested in playing themselves.

“Honestly, everyone on the team is really encouraging and I’ve never met one person that [didn’t like] it. Everyone that has come out to try has stayed and has had a lot of fun.”

More information about the Valkyries, tryouts and game tickets can be found online at saskatoonvalkyries.com.

—

Jennifer Walker

Photo: Louis Christ / Supplied