Women's Football has a long and storied history at Queen's University, and took another big step four years ago when it was officially sanctioned as a Recreation Club in Athletics & Recreation.

To go along with the recreation league club, Queen's Women's Football developed a competitive team that joined the Ontario Women's Intercollegiate Football Association (OWIFA), starting play in 2023 after COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted, and began setting the foundation for the solid program the competitive team is now.

"From day one it was a game-winning mindset. ABC is really big for the team. A is to arrive; come all the time. B is to be on time, which is often to be early. And C is to communicate if you can't do A or B," said Maggie Bernier, a Queen's Women's Football alumna on the offensive line and 2023 OWIFA Championship Team MVP.

"The other standard is Our Kinda Gael. That is to be driven to graduate, obviously school always comes first, but also to be passionate about football and the process of football. Knowing that it's a developing sport, so jump right on board and be passionate about all that football has to offer you, not only in practice, training, and on the field, but also life lessons that it can teach you. And finally being respectful and responsible across the board."



In their first tournament in 2023, the Gaels opened with a 0-3-1 record in round robin play before a tight, one-score loss to the Western Mustangs in the quarterfinals. Former Queen's Women's Football Head Coach Cam Davidson remembered the game as a turning point for the team, which went on to make the final of their second tournament in 2023, losing again to Western on a late touchdown, before finishing as a top team at each tournament they competed at in 2024.

Queen's ultimately lost the OWIFA Championship in 2024 to Western once again, but Davidson said the team is now firmly recognized as a contender. "In the span of 16 months, we went from introducing the competitive team to being a team that's right there on winning an Ontario championship and playing some of the best women's football in the country."

Queen's Football Assistant Coach and Community Engagement Coordinator Nick Liberatore serves as Queen's Football Head Coach now. Liberatore is carrying on the legacy of Davidson's work and putting deep effort into further developing the program.

The early success of the competitive team for Queen's Women's Football is a product of the dedication and resolve of the program.

"When we first started the competitive team, I think we had two or three practices a week plus an optional one or two. And then this year we went up to, three to four practices a week, plus one additional optional practice. And we also had two meetings for film," said Izzy Shih, Queen's Women's Football quarterback and 2023 OWIFA Offensive MVP.

"Looking at that momentum in terms of growth with the commitment, it's really cool seeing. Most of the team is on board with it. We spend a lot of time together, not just on the field, but off the field as well as watching film."

"The biggest step I saw that year was with the players and their buy in. The team was hungry to win," added Davidson, who also serves as Running Backs Coach with Queen's Men's Football. "For us on the coaching staff, that's trying to go out and go best versus best and dominate and win. That really trickled down to the players and the amount of extra work that you see them putting in. The players are all best friends, and in their off time they hang out together. They talk a lot of football. They go to the field, throw the ball around, get extra work."

And the devotion to the program isn't just seen on the field and in the film room. The student-athletes and coaches said they've noticed momentum in the community picking up for Queen's Women's Football, and increasing interest in joining the rec league team.

"We've got friends and family coming out to watch. There's a real respect for the student-athletes playing and people wanting to show up and be there for the student-athletes," Bernier said.

"We are seeing a huge increase in players wanting to transition from recreational into competitive and working hard to get to that point where they can play competitively. That's really amazing to see how much the team has grown so quickly."

Shih added that more graduating players are staying in touch after their playing days, forming a supportive network among current and past players, which helps build connections and promote the growth of the sport.

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Bernier, who joined the team in 2023 at right guard along the offensive line and was recognized by the coaching staff as Team MVP at the last tournament in 2023, took on a leadership role by hosting events for teammates at her house, such as watching football games together.

Now a coach with the Kingston Sharks Women's Football Club, Bernier said some of her favourite memories of playing Queen's Women's Football were made off the field.

"I never had more friends. It was phenomenal to be able to bond with people both on and off the team," Bernier said. "I had workouts, sessions with girls from the team, we would go out for food or out for events at night, different activities around town. I would host a bunch of things where we had the girls coming over, from karaoke to watching the Super Bowl together.

"That's one of the biggest things I took away. Covid was so isolating, and you didn't have many people around you, but this sisterhood meant you always had someone that had your back, whether you're doing it specifically for the game or you just needed someone to talk to."

Shih joined Queen's Women's Football three years ago when a friend asked her to join along. A high-level goalie in soccer growing up, Shih knew she had the arm to play quarterback and moved up the depth chart at the position and was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.

She echoed Bernier's sentiments on the strong team bond of Queen's Women's Football and added the team culture of the program brings out the best in every player.

"We have three team goals, which are also pretty similar to the men's team. For us, it's being the best that you can be; being the best version of yourself. Improve every day and then going best vs. best. And we changed it from winning to dominating. Those are the three program goals for us, which everyone has bought in to and we abide by every day."

"It's intense competition. They expect to win every game they play, which is similar to the Men's program as well," Davidson added.

"There are some kind of unique aspects to it, but it's tremendous to see the cultures align with each other."

To go along with the team's strong bond and culture, Queen's Women's Football is also developing their own set of rituals.

It wouldn't be Queen's Football without some tradition.

 "At one point we had the interceptor going, so if you grabbed an interception, we had a little scepter," Davidson added. "I think that down the line traditions will certainly be something that continues to develop and grow, and you'll really see the tradition take off here as it continues to build."

"We do what we call 'drop the hammer' at the beginning of every practice," Shih continued "The other thing we have, when we're playing on the field, we have a saying called palms down. It means there's no complaining, no arguing; whenever you complain, you have your palms up. Any decision we get, you get a bad ref call or anything, we have our saying where you go palms down and we'll keep going."

The girls have also started the initiative to create a big sister little sister program where new players are paired with vet players in order to help get them involved, feel more confident growing closer to the team and have a safe space to ask questions, learn and further develop their football skills and knowledge. The girls held a team dinner and at the end of the meal drew at random two players that would be connected together for the course of the season as sisters. This new tradition is a build on the strength and support that sisterhood provides on the team both on and off the field.


And it definitely wouldn't be Queen's Football without a rivalry with Western.

Shih said one of her favourite moments with Queen's Women's Football was the team's second tournament in 2023 when they met Western, the top team in OWIFA, in the final, and despite losing in a close game, pushed them to their limits.

And just for the record, Queen's Women's Football has since beaten their Mustangs counterparts.

"This year we were the first team to give them their first loss in a long time. We managed to beat them the day before the championship," Shih said.

"It was the last game of the regular season and honestly, everyone thought it was scripted because after last season, everyone knew Queen's was definitely out there fighting for Top Dog. They put Queen's and Western as the last game of the regular season and we won it. That was a huge, huge moment for our season this year."

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Moving forward, Queen's Women's Football wants to continue to grow the legacy of the program. Bernier said Queen's Women's Football provided a tremendous opportunity for her, and knows it can be a chance for other student-athletes to continue their athletic pursuits in university.

"It's giving opportunities to women from every walk of life to play. In women's sports history, there have been a lot of challenges to break through in order to get positions into sports. And often when you come into university, a lot of people lose the opportunity to play different sports. There are different players on our team that were really good soccer players or really good hockey players or like myself, I played basketball and shotput and couldn't find a place to continue to be in sport.

"It opened so many pathways for women to continue to be in sport and to succeed, and not just succeed but excel. I think that is a super powerful thing that we're recognizing and setting a tone. We want you to succeed and we want you to excel."

Queen's Women's Football continues to increase their numbers and activities. The program is recruiting student-athletes and looking to participate in more tournaments, and would also like to introduce a 5-on-5 team in the future.

Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and it's a time of tremendous growth for the sport. Bernier said Queen's Women's Football is proud to be a part of the incredible momentum of the sport, not just on Queen's campus, but in the broader women's football community as well.

"There's almost an equal joy of being able to dominate, but then still being super respectful and responsible off the field to both our players and other players. Building relationships with other teams and pulling other teams up, making sure that, across the board, we respect all the teams that play and everyone who shows up for the sport. It's amazing to see all the barriers that are being broken and all the different types of people who are showing up and putting in the work to play."