Queen’s is home to numerous athletic teams, including eight sports that compete as a Varsity Team for the University.
Varsity teams compete at the highest level of competition, and receive the most funding from the school, providing student athletes that compete for them a premier university athletics experience.
All Varsity sports are represented equally by both men and women, except football.
For a long time, a women’s football team existed unofficially, however it wasn’t until late September 2020, coming out of COVID-19 and backed by growing interest from the student body, the team made massive strides. Officially becoming a Queen’s Athletics & Recreation (A&R) sanctioned Recreation Club in the 2020-21 season.
In 2023, the team continued to carry its momentum into a creating a new competitive team alongside the recreational team that would compete in the Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Football Association (OWIFA). A league that hosts numerous universities, and college teams located in Ontario.
In the OWIFA, rules are similar to football, the one notable exception that players don’t wear pads, and tackling is replaced with flags on each player’s waist that the opposition must pull.
“Some level of is allowed at the line of scrimmage, such as blocking or defensive backs jamming receivers. The is pretty controlled and regulated to prevent injury or any sort of illegal ,” Women’s Football President Elenee Harper, ArtSci ’25, said in an interview with The Journal.
Their first tournament in 2023 as a competitive team didn’t go as plan with the team losing in the quarterfinals after a 0-3-1 record in pool play. However, undeterred and driven to improve the team wasted no time improving, reaching the finals in only their second tournament that same season.
Reaching the OWIFA Championship in 2024, losing to the Western Mustangs, though heartbreaking, firmly cemented their status as a championship contender in the league. It’s a meteoric rise to the top that didn’t come from luck, but dedication and resolve of the players and coaches.
“We typically do [three] early morning practices. […] And then this year, we’re doing team lifts in the High Performance Centre, which was a huge step up for our program. We also have a couple team meetings a week,” Harper said.
“The time commitment, practices, lifts, meetings. I’d say approximately, 10 to 11 hours a week.”
It’s a time commitment that despite the title of recreational club, treats its competitive athletes more like varsity team . Improving not only the team’s performance, but everyone a part of the team.
“You become a better student, better athlete, better everything, and you learn how to manage your time effectively when you’re spending 11 hours with the team,” Harper added.
The team is backed greatly by a team of 11 coaches, fitting into the mold of a prototypical football team. There are offensive and defensive coordinators, and position specific coaches to focus on the nuance of each aspect of the game.
Many of the coaches are alumni from the Men’s Football team, using their free time to involve themselves with the Women’s team, including current head coach Nick Liberatore, ConEd ’22, who previously played as a kicker and currently serves a Queen’s Men’s Football Assistant Coach and Community Engagement Coordinator.
“They really do care about the program, and they put so much work in outside of the 10-11, hours we’re together each week,” Harper said.
With Queen’s Football’s history of success, the coaches have brought aspects to Women’s Football that have helped the team buy into a winning process, aspects that include buzz words like OKG.
“OKG, which originated from the Men’s Football team, which stands for our kind of guy, for us, it’s our kind of gal,” Harper said.
“What an OKG is. It’s three things. It’s someone who’s driven to graduate, someone who’s ionate about the process of football, and someone who’s respectful and responsible.”
The team hosts tryouts throughout the year, welcoming all athletes to attend and compete for a spot on the team. Though seemingly daunting, the team emphasizes a welcoming, no experience necessary environment.
“We have girls make it this year who hadn’t played football ever before, you might just be a certain type of athlete that it’s good for a certain role,” Harper added.
A key part of learning and growing is the recreational side of team. For many, the time commitment of a competitive sports team isn’t possible as a student, or some may just be interested in learning a new sport. With over 100 athletes a part of the recreational team, get to practice and participate in inter-team competition, culminating in a playoff matchup under the lights at Richardson Stadium.
“You’ll get to experience how to play, not only just football like skills, but then you get to learn to play the actual game, as a team,” Harper said.
For each member of the team, competitive or recreational, they get to buy into a team culture, and a taste of the varsity team experience.
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