Grey Cup festivities are well underway with just one day until the championship game, and part of the festivities is a first-of-its-kind sport summit. The inaugural Girls in Sport Summit brought more than 100 girls together for a day of football and cheerleading camps. “Our mission is anchored in the fact that leadership skills, confidence and competence go way beyond a sports field, into classrooms and into their workspaces as adults,” said Jaime Bellows, role model engagement lead with the Girls Forward Foundation “My dream out of this is that we’re changing the narrative that the CFL isn’t just for a particular demographic, that everyone gets to see themselves included, and that these girls walk away feeling connected and empowered,” said Karen Dommett, 2026 Grey Cup executive director. Inside the BMO Centre girls were lead by cheerleaders of several CFL teams in a cheerleading camp, while an outdoor turf on Stampede Grounds was the site of various football drills. Fourteen-year-old Shiloh Colmenares-Mickler has been cheerleading for nine years, but this was her first experience with football. “I think girls can do any sport, I think it’s just really cool how it’s now become a big sport for girls too now,” she said. This camp comes just two days following a report from Canadian Women and Sport saying girls continue to drop out of sports at a young age. The report says four in ten girls are not playing at all by age 16, and this inaugural summit hopes to find ways to keep girls more engaged throughout their lives. “Noticing research like that could help us really be intentional about programing, looking at non-for-profit and organizations that put the focus on giving girls the intentional experiences, not just putting them in a sport and hoping they stick with it, but giving them the skills, the life skills, and the wellness abilities,” Bellows said. Both Bellows and Dommett say it’s especially great to highlight football, as this is traditionally a male dominated sport but they want to open more avenues for girls to get involved in sports that otherwise may not be that accessible. This has been particularly highlighted by the fact the 2028 Summer Olympics will have female flag football as a sport. “While it’s very exciting that the 2028 Olympics of flag football now includes a female stream as well, and that there is a high performance pathway, what will also now exist is a recreational stream too. That’s what we’re really trying to showcase today through our partnership with Football Alberta too, is that there’s a lot of different levels to participate,” Dommett said. For young female athletes like Colmenares-Mickler, the thought of having more avenues to explore sport, including but not limited to football, is an exciting one. “I think it’s just really important for your mind and your body, and it’s a great thing to be in while you grow up and to find what kind of sport you really like,” Colmenares-Mickler said. “I think it just really builds your personality and who you become when you’re an adult,” she continued. Skills beyond athletics The physical benefits of sports are obvious, but equally important in the summit are all the other life skills you gain. “Our mission today is for them to be able to leave feeling confident and competent, and not only the skills that are learning in a specific school like cheer or football, but also feel like they’re empowered to try new things, push themselves, and also take risks,” Bellows said. Many of the girls in both the football and cheer side of the summit agree that programs like these have been fantastic confidence builders. “(It gives me) more confidence, and it helps you since you’re around people you get better at socializing,” said 11-year-old Abigail Hunt. “It gives me more confidence, especially when you’re performing because you need to do a performance in front of a lot of people.” Added 10-year-old Cailyn McFarlane. Dommett explained she’s a former athlete herself, and much of the leadership team of the Grey Cup is female-led, so she knows first-hand how sports can lead you into greater opportunities later in life. “This was a real passion that we have been afforded the opportunity to be in the roles that we’re in. Our careers have developed because we are all former athletes and have had our doors opened through sport, so we wanted to use this platform and help open doors for the next generation,” Dommett said. As for whether or not this summit would return next year, Dommett said that comes down to the next host, which is Regina. She said the 2027 Regina team was observing how this year’s summit went, so interest is already sparked, and the CFL has also been very involved in supporting the growth of girls’ sports.
