Valkyries look to future of women’s sport after claiming eighth title

The Saskatoon Valkyries are excited to have claimed their eighth Western Women’s Canadian Football League championship title — the team’s third in a row — but are even more excited knowing the future of football for women on the prairies is bright.

Alex Wojcichowsky, 30, has played eight seasons with the Valkyries, and previously spent three seasons working as a trainer for the team while studying to become a physiotherapist. A player on the offensive line, Wojcichowsky called their most recent season a really great one.

The team went undefeated, and finishing with a championship win on June 24 was a highlight, she said, especially given how illness and injury challenged the team this season.

“It hasn’t been an easy run for us, but it’s been a really great year and we ended it off with a win, which isn’t always an easy thing to do,” Wojcichowsky said.

Losing teammates meant the team had a smaller roster for games, which forced players to learn different positions throughout the season. Wojcichowsky credited the team’s coaching staff with preparing them well for the challenge, and commended her team for their hard work, even in the off season.

Beth Thompson, who coaches the team’s defensive line, played as a Valkyrie herself for three years before joining the team’s staff in 2014. She’s one of only a few that have been with the organization for all eight championships.

“Certainly it’s not a feeling that gets old with time. It’s something that’s pretty special every time,” Thompson reflected.

She said this season’s win was extra special because of the team they had, and because they got to compete in the championship on home turf with friends and family cheering them on.

Describing the win as “complete joy,” she said nothing compares to “that championship feeling.”

Thompson reflected that the team’s roster this year was perhaps one of the smallest the team has had, but was filled with high-quality players who rose to the occasion when the bench was short to fill positions, even when their experience was limited.

“Everyone just kind of helped out where they were needed,” Thompson said.

More than just a team

Betsy Mawdsley, who usually plays offensive tackle, hasn’t missed a Valkyries season since she started in 2016.

She said the team is made up of a lot of teachers and physiotherapists, which is largely a result of players recruiting people they know to the team.

“How do you know you’ve met a Valkyrie? They’re trying to recruit you,” Mawdsley quipped.

“We’re all just the best of friends, and it makes it really fun to come to practice.”

The core of the team is veterans like Wojcichowsky and Mawdsley, while rookies who just “fit right in” are welcomed each year.

The Valkyrie team is Mawdsley’s own community. She said she moved to Saskatoon several years ago to complete her masters in physiotherapy with no intention of staying in the city over the long term.

But, despite never having even seen a football game before and needing assistance from another player to put on her pads, Mawdsley said she transitioned from biathlon to become a Valkyrie.

Mawdsley said her adult introduction to football, as a woman, isn’t as uncommon as some might think.

“You live season to season. Your friend group becomes these people. Your role in the community becomes part of that,” Mawdsley said.

Getting a win in the end — alongside teammates that feel like family — makes it that much sweeter, Wojcichowsky said.

Future teammates

While some might feel pressure to uphold the team’s 27-game winning streak, it’s an exciting privilege for Mawdsley.

“Teams really are (rising to our level),” she said, explaining the work the Valkyries’ competition has put in to learn their plays, patterns and strengths on the field. “It’s not that we are the bar to meet.”

She said women’s football is seeing more dedication than ever before, with teams working harder and strategizing before each game. Mawdsley said she sees that effort paying off.

Betsy Mawdsley, proud to be part of this year’s championship Valkyries team, on June 30, 2023. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

“I think there’s a lot of development and big excitement coming that is way bigger than 27 games or three-peat. Women’s football is on fire in the province, and in our league,” Mawdsley said.

“We joke that women’s football is an illness, and once you catch it, there’s no leaving it.”

As long-time players, Mawdley and Wojcichowsky both said they’re looking forward to seeing who else joins the Valkyrie family as time goes on.

Wojcichowsky has hopes of inspiring the next generation of Valkyries and girls in sport.

Valkyries players have the chance to try out during a yearly camp the team hosts. This year, 70 high school girls came out, with many trying the sport for the first time.

Mawdsley said she understands that it can be scary to come into a new sport and meet players like herself — she stands six-foot-one and described herself as a “very large human” — who say it won’t hurt too badly to take a hit.

She said, joining the team comes with tons of benefits.

“You’re joining a program and you’re joining a family,” Mawdsley said.

While she might have started the sport as an adult, she said she sees that changing with more investment into the sport, and expects the landscape to shift for players and the composition of women’s football in the coming years.