After having celebrated its inaugural year last year, the U17 Raiders female tackle football team is looking ahead to attract even more players and raise even more awareness come this year.

With registration now open, the football team's Head Coach, Dana Nay, said that last year was a year full of learning curves. Nay, who last year was in a managerial role stepped into the head coaching position for 2023 with hopes to expand and nurture the team.

"I really want to grow female football in Airdrie. I want to raise awareness so that more girls know about it; and not just the girls. I want everyone to know about it, I want everyone to talk about it, come watch the games, and be excited about our team," Nay said. 

The Airdrie Raiders female team plays under the Calgary Bantam League (CBFA) competing in 6-A-Side tackle football and Nay observed that before last year there was quite a large gap in the female tackle football league, one that she is hoping will get smaller.

"At this age group- the junior [and] senior high school level, there are not very many girls that do play. So, this is a good way for them to get out and play the sport and be a part of it," she said. "There are a lot of girls out there that want to play. They just need to be given a chance to do it in a way that they're confident doing it."

Nay explained that currently there are 15 players on the roster, but it's not just about filling positions on the field. Nay is hoping to attract younger players to develop their skills and love of the game. 

"They'll come to the practices to get all the coaching and they're part of the team, but they just don't dress for the game day until they're old enough to be in the game," she explained.

Nay who has been part of the Airdrie football community for over a decade said that she is looking forward to trying her hand at the coaching position and more importantly, showing her players how the game works. She urged anyone and everyone who is interested to register.

"Come out and meet the coaches; we have a great group of coaches. We have some returning players from last year and they're a great group of kids. It's so much fun," she urged. "In my experience, football is different than a lot of other sports. It's very team-oriented and the camaraderie is like nothing else. A lot of players who come in for football, fall in love with it. So, just come and try."

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