Team Saskatchewan walked away with the gold after a blowout win against Team Quebec in the 2026 Senior Women’s Football National Championship. The final score was 24-3. “[I’m] very pleased to have an excellent coaching staff with a lot of experience, a lot of passion for the sport – and our athletes are exceptional,” Saskatchewan head coach Pat Barry told CTV News ahead of Saturday’s game. “I am so pleased and so proud of all of them.” Team Saskatchewan was composed of athletes who are often on opposing sides of the field. But members of the Regina Riot and Saskatoon Valkyries put aside their rivalry to showcase Saskatchewan’s talent on a national stage. “We’re lucky that a lot of us have known each other and played against each other for a long time. So, it’s nice that we have some of that veteran presence to kind of help some of that team bonding,” said Saskatchewan linebacker Emmarae Dale. “At the end of the day, we all know that even though we’re rivals in our regular league … we’re here for a common goal and that’s to show what Saskatchewan football is all about." Team Saskatchewan also had home field advantage throughout the tournament. Hosted at Saskatoon’s SMF field, many eager fans made their way out to show support. “It’s awesome to be able to play in front of friends and family having their support behind us. It really means all the difference and makes all the difference,” Dale said. “We love just having them here for us and getting to play for them. Just [makes it] a little bit more special, [adds a] little bit more meaning.” Saskatchewan’s big win comes after months of hard work. While both coaches and players had plenty of experiencing facing each other, facing off against the other teams that travelled in from across the country required the ability to quickly adapt to new opponents. The hard work and preparation seemed to have paid off in a dominating 56-0 win against Team Atlantic in the semifinal. “Playing against Team Atlantic on Wednesday, we had a lot of success. Everyone got to play quite a bit. And we’re pretty new together as a team coming from all over the province, so we’re very pleased with how the other day went,” Barry said. Dale added that she felt confident going into Saturday’s championship game thanks to the hard work she and her teammates put in. “We just kind of have to trust our systems and our strategies of what our coaches have put in and … just do our jobs,” she said. “Don’t worry too much about what they’re doing and we can make adjustments. And one of our strikes is being able to move on the fly and [that’s] something we do well.” Coach Barry shared that his pregame message to the team was less about the technical details that come along with such a high stakes game, and more about the importance of understanding and appreciating the opportunity to play on such an importance stage. “I want them to stay in the moment ... be excited, have fun and go try and win a championship,” Barry said. And they did just that. Team Saskatchewan was first to put points on the board thanks to a field goal kicked by Kaylin O’Neil. The team carried that momentum for the rest of the game, with a 17-3 lead going into halftime. Dale had two pick-sixes, earning her the title of defensive player of the game. Shanelle Rioux was named offensive player of the game, thanks to her four catches, and 91 receiving yards with a 61-yard-long gain. The big win is something Team Saskatchewan hopes to continue building on as women’s football continues to grow in the province. “It’s just expanding, and it’s just awesome to see. Saskatchewan is such a football province,” Dale said. “To see the support also on the women’s side – I think it’s just building momentum and it’s growing on the flag side, which is trickling into the tackle side. It’s just been so much fun to have so many quality athletes and people just getting into the women’s game.”
