Minor football president optimistic of all-girls team after PGFL expands to Saskatoon

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“Opportunities for female players in football has definitely grown a lot since I was in high school. Back in my day, we played our high school games and then we had the Senior Bowl and that was it, and now there’s all these interprovincial and national championships, both for boys and for girls. The fact that there’s all these expanded opportunities is wonderful for the players and great exposure for the sport. I certainly hope that it continues, and this Prairie Girls league is an excellent example of that.” 

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Officially formed in 2019, the PGFL traces back to 2017 when interest for an all-girls team began in Moosomin. The town then formed the Generals a year later, one of the first girls-only minor tackle football teams in the province at the time. Surrounding communities also begin attracting interest which quickly developed into the formal nine-a-side league it is today.

After being briefly sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, the league embarked on its first full season in 2021 when Moosomin won the inaugural championship over Yorkton, 26-18.  

When asked if there could be enough interest for an all-girls minor football team in Prince Albert, Kachkowski said it might be doable except for one problem. 

“I would love for that to happen. Every year since PA minor football was created, we’ve always had a few girls at every level in every program that we offer, and I’d love for there to be more. One of the shortcomings as far as being able to join the league, as much as I’d like to, is honestly the coaching.” 

He explained that the coaches with PAMF are also coaching two or sometimes three other programs in a season while also juggling other sports and their personal lives, so some extra hands in the coaching department would be necessary. He also noted that with the city supporting an all-girls minor rugby team in the Prince Albert Panthers, he doesn’t see why a football team can’t exist too.  

“But again, it’s a matter of people stepping forward on the organizational side of it and the coaching side of it that would be able to make that closer to happening.” 

“There’s huge potential for more.” 

He continued that PAMF has also had players from surrounding communities come into the city to play, so having a team that represented the area instead of just the city could be a feasible option.  

Registration open for upcoming fall season 

River Rider registration is open for the upcoming fall season in the Kinsmen Football League (KFL) out of Saskatoon. 

Kachkowski said the league wrapped up their spring season last month and will be back on the field in August for the start of the fall season in September, which runs until the end of October. PAMF offers programs for youth of all ages, including atom (six-a-side) for Grades 4-5, peewee (nine-a-side) for Grades 6-7, and bantam (12-man) for Grades 8-9.  

As of the first week of July, Kachkowski said registration numbers are a bit lower than what they’d hope to see by this time, but adds they normally pick up towards the end of the registration window.  

“People seem to leave their kids’ registration until the last minute, so I would encourage parents to please register their kids early so we can make more concrete plans as far as the season goes.” 

He continued that parents who register their kids before Aug. 1 will save $75 on their fees. One thing Kachkowski hopes parents understand, though, is how inexpensive the sport is to play. 

“Football is definitely a much more affordable sport than I think a lot of people realize. They don’t have to buy the equipment; we provide it for them. There is a deposit involved, but once you return everything that’s been loaned out to the player and you’re not missing a kneepad or whatever, you’ll get your deposit back. I would encourage anybody with a child interested in trying it out to sign the kids up.” 

Those interested in signing up to play River Riders football this fall can click here for more information. 

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com