Football Canada unveils Canadian Flag Football League (CFFL)
In a first of its kind, Football Canada is excited to announce the launch of the Canadian Flag Football League (CFFL) in 2019.
“Football Canada and the Provincial Sport Organization are proud of the growth of flag football nationally and internationally and believe the CFFL will provide an opportunity to highlight this growth through the leagues taking place across the country,” Executive Director Shannon Donovan said. “The league will also help prepare our national teams for international competition.”
There are three divisions for the CFFL – Male, Female and Mixed. Senior football includes players 18 years of age and older.
The League format will consist of existing adult flag leagues from across the country running their current format. The provincial conference will incorporate these adult leagues into the national structure. The Provincial Sport Organizations will determine the selection process for teams to move out of their respective conferences.
“One enhanced feature of this league is if an organization is currently running a flag league, nothing changes in their process; they become part of the CFFL adding significant benefits to their participants,” explains Aaron Geisler, Manager of Development. “We are chartering new waters with this league as it is the first of its kind nationally and internationally.”
Once the provincial conference selections are completed, provinces can send up to two teams from each division on to the next stage of the pathway, which is the regional championships.
The regional championships will be held in three regions in the month of May. The CFFL Eastern Regional will be played at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB from May 19-20, 2019. Ontario and Quebec teams will vie for the CFFL Central Regional Championship from May 10-12, 2019 in Ottawa. The CFFL Western Regional Championships will be contested from May 18-20, 2019 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
At the conclusion of the regional championships, the final leg of the pathway is the national championship. The top two teams from each division will compete for the National Championship hosted by Football Saskatchewan in Saskatoon from July 26-28th, 2019.
All regional and national championships will use the 5v5 rules as per Football Canada’s Non-Contact Rule Book.
The CFFL champion will represent Canada at either an IFAF qualifier or World Flag Championship. In addition, other players will be selected to complete the National Team roster provided they have competed at CFFL Nationals.
“Our goal in year one is to successfully establish the CFFL’s National Championship pathway while strengthening our National Team ,” explains Aaron Geisler, Manager of Development. “In year two and moving forward we intend to grow the scope of the CFFL as well as strengthening a standard national adult flag football brand.”
Not only are the Provincial Sport Organizations applauding the launch of this league, but they are also seeing the long term benefits of CFFL.
“The CFFL is an exciting new initiative with a clear defined path to a national championship,” says Football Nova Scotia Executive Director Karen Ouellette. We believe it will increase the interest in flag football and continue to grow the sport across the province.”
“We are excited to be part of this initiative and look forward to launching our new league in Nova Scotia this January in conjunction with the CFFL.”
For more information contact:
Aaron Geisler, Manager of Development
Or contact your Provincial Association:
| Province | Contact Person | Contact Information | |
| British Columbia | Duncan Olthuis | technicaldirector@bcpfa.com | |
| Alberta | Tim Enger | tenger@telus.net | |
| Saskatchewan | Cody Halseth | chalseth@footballsaskatchewan.ca | |
| Manitoba | Neil Hansen | technical@footballmanitoba.com | |
| Ontario | Tina Turner | director@ontariofootball.ca | |
| Quebec | Martin Roy | mroy@football.qc.ca | |
| New Brunswick | Josh Harris | executivedirector@FootballNB.ca | |
| Nova Scotia | Bryce Fisher | bfisher@footballnovascotia.ca | |
| Prince Edward Island | Glen Flood | gflood@sportpei.pe.ca | |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | Brian Hillier | president@footballnl.ca |
About Football Canada
Established in 1884, Football Canada is the national governing body of amateur football in Canada and a proud member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). Working closely with the provincial football associations, we develop programs and resources for players, coaches, officials in the three disciplines of Tackle, Flag and Touch Football. Football Canada’s vision statement is “from playground to stadium” where players can participate in the game of football throughout a lifetime recreationally, competitively and internationally. Athletes represent Canada internationally at IFAF governed tournaments such as the World Junior Championships and World Women’s Championships and Senior Men’s World Championships and compete against other nations such as the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia and Sweden. Football Canada provides a national stage for our athletes to compete and develop in tournaments primarily the Football Canada Cup, which is the Under-18 National Championship. Over 320 athletes from coast-to-coast benefit each year from competing at the tournament. Since the inception of the tournament, over 7,500 athletes who have competed in the national championship have enjoyed further success in their careers in the NFL, CFL and USports.
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