Manitoba Fearless

Manitoba Fearless
Team logo
Founded2008
Based inWinnipeg, Manitoba
Home fieldIG Field
Head coachBrett MacFarlane
General managerLisa Thomas
LeagueWWCFL
DivisionPrairie
Colours     
League titles0
Conference titles1 (2022)
Websitewww.manitobafearless.com

The Manitoba Fearless are a women's football team in the Western Women's Canadian Football League's (WWCFL) Prairie Conference. The team is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is the longest running Winnipeg-based women's tackle football team, founded in 2008. Their local WWCFL rivals are the Winnipeg Wolfpack.

Three members of the Fearless were part of the inaugural WWCFL board. Together, Fearless founder Tannis Wilson and former-GM Lisa Cummings founded the Manitoba Girls Football Association.[1]

Team history

The Fearless were founded in Winnipeg in 2008. Founder Tannis Wilson had traveled to Alberta after a women's team was founded in Calgary, and returned to Winnipeg with the goal of founding a club there.[2] The Fearless spent several years traveling to play exhibition matches against teams in Alberta, as well as against the Minnesota Vixen.[3] They also invited teams to play in Winnipeg and played some of their games in Brandon, Manitoba.[4] In 2011, the Fearless became a charter member of the WWCFL, joining the Prairie Conference along with three new teams: The Winnipeg Nomads Wolfpack, the Saskatoon Valkyries, and the Regina Riot. Wilson was instrumental in the formation of the new league, and served as its first commissioner.[2]

The close proximity of the new Wolfpack team ensured the creation of a lasting rivalry between the two Winnipeg-based teams, but both found themselves consistently at the bottom of the Prairie Conference standings as the Valkyries and Riot dominated the new league. In the inaugural season, the Fearless opted to forfeit their first-round playoff match against the Riot.[5] The Valkyries won the first four WWCFL championships before the Riot won their first in 2015, the two Saskatchewan-based teams losing only to each other. The Fearless came close to breaking through in the 2018 playoffs when they lost a tight quarterfinal match to Saskatoon by a score of 16–13.[6] A breakthrough finally came in 2019 when the Fearless were able to defeat the Riot 34–9 in Regina on 5 May. It was Manitoba's first win over Regina in ten tries.[7] The win helped Manitoba finish 2nd in the Prairie Conference standings for the first time; however, they lost a re-match to Regina in the playoff Quarterfinals.

The progress of the Fearless was put on hold for two years as the WWCFL cancelled both the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Fearless took a major step when the league resumed play in 2022. They again beat Regina during the regular season and finished 2nd in the Prairie Conference. This time, they managed to get past Regina in the playoffs, defeating the Riot 20–13.[8] They went on to advance to their first WWCFL championship game. In the final, they lost to the Valkyries by a score of 36–6.[9]

Year by year

= Indicates Division Title (regular season)
= Indicates Conference Title
= Indicates League Championship
Season League Conf. W L Conf. standing Playoff result Ref.
2011 WWCFL Prairie 2 2 3rd Forfeit Conference Semifinal vs. Regina Riot [10]
2012 WWCFL Prairie 1 3 4th Lost Prairie Conference Semifinal, 56–0 vs. Saskatoon Valkyries [11]
2013 WWCFL Prairie 0 4 4th Did not qualify [12]
2014 WWCFL Prairie 0 4 4th Lost Prairie Conference Semifinal, 48–6 vs. Saskatoon Valkyries [13]
2015 WWCFL Prairie 0 4 4th Lost Prairie Conference Semifinal, vs. 73–0 Regina Riot [14]
2016 WWCFL Prairie 1 3 4th Lost Prairie Conference Semifinal, 42–2 vs. Saskatoon Valkyries [15]
2017 WWCFL Prairie 1 3 4th Did not qualify [16]
2018 WWCFL Prairie 2 2 3rd Lost Quarterfinal, 16–13 vs. Saskatoon Valkyries [6]
2019 WWCFL Prairie 3 1 2nd Lost Quarterfinal, 13–9 vs. Regina Riot [17]
2020 WWCFL Prairie Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [18]
2021 WWCFL Prairie Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 WWCFL Prairie 3 1 2nd Lost WWCFL Final, 36–6 vs. Saskatoon Valkyries [9]
2023 WWCFL Prairie 2 2 3rd Lost Quarterfinal, 26–13 vs. Regina Riot [19]
2024 WWCFL Prairie 0 4 3rd Lost Semifinal, 48–14 vs. Saskatoon Valkyries [20]
Totals (2011–2024) 15 33

IFAF competitors

The following lists women from the Manitoba Fearless who have competed in the IFAF Women's World Championship as members of Team Canada.

2010 2013[21] 2017[22] 2022[23]
  • Kathy Calancia
  • Patricia Eko-Davis
  • Jessica McCreary
  • Andrea Weichel
  • Carol Whitman
  • Roxanna Cox
  • Lisa Klaverkamp
  • Pauline Olynik
  • Alexa Matwyczuk
  • Amanda Myall
  • Andrea Backlund
  • Nicole Drouin
  • Brooklyn Dyce
  • Hallile Eggie
  • Nura Muhindo
  • Julie Sprague

See also

References

  1. ^ Satffieri, Mark (2013-05-23). "Lisa Cummings Helps to Lay Down Roots for Women's Football in Manitoba". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  2. ^ a b Tait, Ed (2017-05-18). "Women's Football - A Growing Game". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  3. ^ "Manitoba Fearless - About Us". Manitoba Fearless. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  4. ^ Lunney, Doug (2012-03-26). "Women eager to tackle new football challenge". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Kevin (2011-07-02). "Winnipeg forfeits playoff game against Valkyries". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  6. ^ a b "2018 Results". WWCFL. Archived from the original on 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  7. ^ Vanstone, Rob (2019-05-05). "Manitoba Fearless no longer winless against Regina Riot". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  8. ^ CKRM (2022-06-12). "Riot Make Early Exit from Playoffs". CKRM Sports. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  9. ^ a b Mitchell, Kevin (2022-06-26). "'I couldn't be prouder': Valkyries cap off unbeaten season with championship celebration". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  10. ^ "WWCFL - Schedule/Standings/Results". WWCFL. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  11. ^ Trembath, Sean (2012-06-25). "Valkyries' romp keeps perfect history going". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 2023-07-13 – via pressreader.
  12. ^ "WWCFL - Schedule/Results". WWCFL. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  13. ^ Rice, Don (2014-06-16). "Valkyries advance to final with easy win". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 2023-07-13 – via WWCFL.
  14. ^ Harder, Greg (2015-06-22). "Riot ready for rematch with rival Valkyries". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  15. ^ Rice, Don (2016-06-12). "Five touchdowns on five touches for Friesen in Valkyrie romp". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  16. ^ "2017 Schedule". WWCFL. Archived from the original on 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  17. ^ "2019 Results". WWCFL. Archived from the original on 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  18. ^ Lazaruk, Les (2020-03-30). "WWCFL Cancels 10th Anniversary Season Due to COVID-19 Pandemic". CJWW. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  19. ^ "Local sports roundup: Calder Cup, Riot, Red Sox and more". Regina Leader-Post. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2023-07-13 – via msn.
  20. ^ "Saskatoon Valkyries advance to WWCFL final, CEBL Rattlers fall to Vancouver". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. 2024-06-17. Archived from the original on 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2024-07-03 – via msn.
  21. ^ "Team Canada". IFAF Women's World Championship. Archived from the original on 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  22. ^ "Football Canada Unveils 2017 Women's National Team Roster". Football Canada. 2017-01-14. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  23. ^ Geisler, Jamie (2022-05-20). "Team Canada National Women's Team Final Roster Set for Finland". Football Canada. Retrieved 2023-07-13.