The 2022 NCAFA season was a successful season at multiple levels and the growth the league has seen is something that is exciting for all members of our tight knit community. Our hope is that this renewed success and innovation is only a stepping stone of things to come for Football in Ottawa as we enter our 68 season in 2023.
Flag football is an area that markedly improved in 2022 and is something that allows more kids to get involved with the sport of football at a grassroots level. During the 2022 season, our flag programs saw a monumental jump in registration numbers having over 1,000 new members overall, and 258 of those new members being girls in our girls flag division. This is something that we’re extremely proud of and eager to continue to grow in 2023!
Teams generally start registration in the new year with preparation heating up in late April & early May. The flag football season commences on May 26th and will run until June 24th. If you’re looking to get involved in the sport of football, or encourage your friends to join you, this is the perfect avenue to start! Visit our website here at: NCAFA Flag Football for contact info on a team/division that you’re interested in joining and don’t hesitate to reach out.
See the Flag Football Video from 2022 here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgWn1MJQLRo&t=15s
It was another huge success for our annual Tyke Tussle & Mosquito Madness events in August to kickoff our tackle football season. A huge shout out to the Ottawa RedBlacks, OSEG, and TD Place for hosting our tykes and to the RedBlacks players who attended and were generous enough to take some pictures with the little ones. Another shoutout goes out to our Kanata & Gatineau clubs who co-hosted the Mosquito Madness event and provided the venue for a great day of fun. These events also provided a great opportunity for the Eastern Ontario Tackle Football Officials Association to integrate some of the younger officials in the organization to start their officiating careers in NCAFA, a big thanks to them is in order for helping NCAFA put these kind of events on and for working all of our games during the season!
Not only does the EOTFOA help us in running our tackle events and our tackle season every year, this season we were also lucky enough to integrate some of our very own young football players into their organization to start their officiating journey. Thanks to our partnership with OSEG, these aspiring young football minds were able to join the EOTFOA and have their tackle football registration fees subsidized. The 20 officials who joined this program thankfully were paired with some great mentors and helpful teaching under the EOTFOA’s guidance. With the huge success of this program in 2022, organizations throughout the country have been reaching out to NCAFA & the EOTFOA regarding how they can implement similar programs in their organizations. This program will continue in 2023 in NCAFA and we’re ecstatic about the future of officiating in our sport under the great leadership of tenured officials, and the next generation of community officials. Remember, without officials it’s not a game, it’s a scrimmage!
We were lucky enough to participate in the Purolator Tackle Hunger Drive this season to provide non-perishable food items to local food banks. Purolator introduced this in 2003 and has been providing food items to families in need from coast to coast in Canada ever since. A huge thank you to our entire community who participated in these efforts during Tyke Tussle, Championship Week, and throughout the year. The Gatineau Vikings association provided over $4,000 worth of donations and canned goods & the Orleans association donated over 700 lbs of food & over $800 worth of cash donations during this initiative for the Ottawa food bank. Thank you to Purolator, our NCAFA community who participated, and the City of Ottawa for making a difference!
NCAFA Championship week was a booming success in 2022. Not only were the games themselves competitive & exciting, but the support of the league from fans during these games was a sight to behold. It was difficult to find an open seat during the weekend championship games! Thank you to the Myers Riders canteen staff for providing delicious meals & keeping family & fans hydrated during the thrilling action. We were also delighted to countdown the Top 100 NCAFA Plays of All Time leading up to championship week and honored to induct the Class of 2022 into the NCAFA Hall of Fame during Championship Weekend! The engagement we received from alumni of our league throughout these two campaigns was unparalleled and we are extremely thankful to our entire community, past and present for showing their love of NCAFA football. A huge thank you to TYSN for their help with collaborating and putting these items into motion. Congratulations to all teams on successful seasons!
NCAFA is excited to welcome two new clubs into our league in 2023. The Kemptville Jaguars & The Buckingham Football Team. By a unanimous vote, these two clubs will join our league with both Tyke (U10) & Mosquito (U12) clubs along with Peewee (U14) if numbers permit next season. The growth of our league is important and allowing as many kids in Eastern Ontario to have the opportunity to play organized football is a driving factor in the expansion. Welcome to NCAFA Kemptville & Buckingham and good luck in 2023!
We are also looking forward to the continued growth of our Flag Football leagues and look to improve on an already impressive registration jump in 2022. We are also dedicated to provide as many opportunities as possible to girls who want to play football & stay involved in sports as they grow up and will continue to push the needle in these regards in 2023. Our huddle includes everyone.
We would like to congratulate & thank everyone who made 2022 a successful year for NCAFA & can’t wait to embark on another successful year in 2023. Happy Holidays to our entire NCAFA Family!
