Saskatoon football pumped flag game in 2028 Olympics

Popularity of sport expected to increase further

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Two players jet downfield in a Rush high school flag game.

Saskatoon Minor Football has always been cutting edge with its flag football programs, and a welcome development is going to add more luster to the sport.

On October 16, 2023, flag football in both men’s and women’s events was approved by the International Olympic Committee for play in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, Calif. Flag football will be in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2028 along with squash, while baseball, softball, cricket and lacrosse return after varying absences. Flag football games at the Olympics will be contested in a five-on-five format on a 50-yard field with no linemen in both men’s and women’s action.

Brian Guebert, who is the executive director Saskatoon Minor Football, said the announcement that the flag game was going to be accepted into the Olympics was something his organization was anticipating for a while. He said there was a cool feeling when the official announcement came out.

“For it to be official was something really exciting,” said Guebert. “It was kind of that breath of fresh air going, ‘Alright. It is for real now and they’re moving forward with it in a high-performance capacity.’

“It has really changed the tune of how people are approaching the sport of flag football. A lot of times it was a secondary sport. It was something people did for recreation.

“Now, we’re seeing a lot of our young athletes saying, ‘I want to do this as my primary sport.’ That has been really exciting as a result of the announcement of it being an Olympic sport.”

Over the years, Saskatoon Minor Football has developed a number of flag programs including Lil’Tops 3-on-3 flag football, the NFL 5-on-5 Youth Flag Football League, the Rush Female High School Football Flag league, the Toon Squad competitive flag league and the Toon Squad travel teams. Outside of Saskatoon Minor Football, the Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League operates with men’s and women’s divisions and a number of those players coach in the programs offered by SMF.

Guebert said the inclusion of flag football to the Olympics will have a big positive impact on the elite-level side of the game.

“I just think that we will see some growth in our programing in particularly our high-performance program,” said Guebert. “We’ve been fortunate for the last two years in anticipation of this to give our athletes the best chance to compete.

Reed Thorstad coaches a Toon Squad league flag game.

“We have taken our Toon Squad teams, so our U16 and U19 female and male teams, down to the States the last two winters and compete in some high-performance tournaments down there. I think we will start to see a little more draw towards those programs especially leading up and following the Olympics.”

With that said, Guebert is expecting there will be increased popularity for the overall flag game and in all the flag leagues SMF oversees.

“Overall, our NFL youth flag league, our Rush high school girls flag league and we have a Toon Squad league that plays kind of a little more a high-performance model in the fall for females,” said Guebert. “I think we’ll see those steadily continue to grow.

“We’ve had some fantastic growth in really the last 15 or 20 years here. I think we’ll see those continue to sustain a pretty marked growth curve. I’m excited to see where flag football takes us as a football organization.”

Reed Thorstad, who is best known as a star receiver for the Saskatoon Valkyries women’s tackle football team, has played flag football for some time and coaches in both the tackle and flag side of the sport with SMF. She was excited flag football was accepted into the Olympics and said it is an amazing sport technically and tactically.

Thorstad believes Canada will be a high medal contender at the Olympics. She believes the fact flag football becoming an Olympic sport will add to what has been developed in Saskatoon.

“I think it is amazing what we have going on here in Saskatoon right now,” said Thorstad. “There has been a lot of growth in flag football both in the amount of girls playing flag football but also the level of skill that we’re seeing now.

“There is definitely an interest in it. I think that is going to continue to challenge everyone whether they’ve been playing for a long time or they’re new to the sport. Anyone that is chasing that Olympic dream should just work that much harder, because you know that next generation is going to be working for it too.”

Over the past two winters, Thorstad as a coach has taken an SMF female travel team to a tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. She felt those experiences were eye opening for her players showing that they could play against the best players in their age group in the world.

As for herself, Thorstad will soon turn 28-years-old, so she isn’t sure where she would stand for potentially playing in the 2028 Olympics. She did say it is possible that players she coached could be playing in those games.

A quarterback, right, makes a pass in an NFL Youth flag game.

“Right now, I’m focused on our tackle season,” said Thorstad. “I’m still playing flag, and I love the sport.

“I think it would be an amazing opportunity to even have the chance to try and do that. I know that it is going to be tough competition in Canada, because we have some excellent flag football players and flag football teams. We will see what happens, but I think we’ll have some representation from Saskatchewan in some capacity.”

Cam Skinner, who is a defensive back for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team and is flag player too, believes having flag football at the Olympics is going to help the exposure for the sport of football overall.

“It is big for the sport for sure,” said Skinner. “You see just the flag numbers that have been rising.

“As a football player, it is cool to see more people just playing. Personally and just with the guys I’ve played with, we’re just excited for the potential to see something you’ve been playing on TV and in the Olympics and then have maybe the chance to go.”

Skinner, who is 24-years-old, is entering his fifth and final season of eligibility with the Huskies. He still has hopes of playing the tackle game professionally in the CFL, but he the added the opportunity of having the flag game as part of the Olympics is another chance to play the sport at a high level in 2028.

“The mindset is cool,” said Skinner. “The potential that would be my peak years.

“You always wonder now that it is an Olympic sport who is going to be available and excited to go. You look at the caliber of athletes we have in Canada. There are guys going to the NFL that might be vying for that spot kind of when that time comes around.

“As a guy that has played high level football in Canada and played a bunch of flag, it is an exciting opportunity just to even have that consideration out there. It will be interesting to see when 2028 comes around.”

Overall, Guebert said flag football has been important to SMF for some time, and have flag football in the Olympics gives that version of the sport an extra boost. He said it is a great entry point for the game because players need to bring cleats, and they are good to go.

“It is a low barrier of entry and then from a fundamental perspective it teaches fundamental skills that are transferable to high-performance flag but also transferable to tackle football,” said Guebert. “I’ll tell any of our parents that it is way harder to take a couple of flags off somebodies’ hips than it is to tackle them.

A Falcons runner rips downfield in an NFL Youth flag game.

“Flag teaches you to be in that good position to wrap up and make a tackle. It teaches you route running. It teaches you ball protection and ball catching and carrying.

“It teaches you coverage skills. It teaches you rushing skills. It teaches you pursuit angles. It is all really, really good without having any contact involved.”

For more information on the flag and other programs offered by Saskatoon Minor Football, feel free to check out their website at saskatoonminorfootball.com.

KFL – tackle football in its purest form

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

The Steelers and Maddogs go at it in KFL action.

Bill Eng coached high school football for over 30 years, but he still gets great pride helping players learn the game in its purest form.

Eng is in his second season coaching the Titans team that plays in the Huskie Division for Grade 8 and 9 players in Saskatoon’s storied Kinsmen Football League. For a lot of players, playing in the Kinsmen Football League is their first experience of playing tackle football in an organized team environment.

“They are very enthusiastic,” said Eng. “They are very eager to learn.

“We improve a lot. Almost every single week we improve. You have to keep it in perspective, because a lot of them they haven’t played football before.

“We want to give them a real good experience, so that they will play next year and also into high school.”

Eng said it is a fun challenge on the coaching front to ensure the players have a fun experience and are able to learn the game so they are able to enjoy it. With having coached high school for a lengthy stretch, Eng didn’t realize how big the adjustment would be in having to get down to the basics to coach players in the KFL.

He also gained a new appreciation for the fun in making that coaching adjustment to teach the basics.

“You start at square one,” said Eng. “As a coach, you have to go back to how you started coaching.

“When you first start coaching, you really don’t know much. As the years go along, you kind of add on. I always believe you almost got to think as that kid in Grade 8 and 9.

“Sometimes it is hard, because that has been a long time that has happened.”

Since first taking the field in 1968, the KFL has been a fixture in Saskatoon’s sports scene. A large amount of players who would go on to play in the Canadian Junior Football League for the Saskatoon Hilltops or U Sports with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies locally got their start playing in the KFL.

Dustin Gusikoski (#19) scores a TD for the Titans in KFL action.

There have even been a handful of players that have gone to play professionally in the CFL, who got their start in the KFL.

During its history, the KFL has played the bulk of its games at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.

Before the start of the 2020 season, Saskatoon Minor Football assumed control of the KFL. Brian Guebert, who is Executive Director for Saskatoon Minor Football, was once a former KFL player himself, said he was happy SMF could be the stewards of the KFL and its legacy.

“It has been great just to be apart of the history of the KFL and bring our own kind of spin to it from minor football and what we’ve learned over the years,” said Guebert, who played in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2007 and 2008. “It has been really exciting.

“It has been awesome being here (at Saskatoon Minor Football Field) 12 hours every weekend to have these games and just seeing the players develop.”

Guebert still has fond memories of playing in the league and remembers finding his way in the sport in those formative years.

“I got my first taste of not really knowing what position I would play,” said Guebert, who played football for both the Hilltops and Huskies. “I knew my uncle played safety, and I thought that would be pretty cool.

“I obviously had a different body type being shaped like a bowling ball, so I learned how to play O-line and D-line in Kinsmen. It was a great experience, great coaches and lots of fun.”

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world, SMF was able to conduct a 2020 KFL season playing in a six-versus-six format in order to navigate the public health orders that were in place at that time.

Play in the KFL returned to its regular 12-versus-12 format this season.

Under the current structure of the KFL, teams are divided into two divisions. The Hilltop Division is for players in Grades 6 and 7 and the Huskie Division is for players in Grades 8 and 9. Teams are organized geographically.

Bill Eng, centre, enjoys helping KFL players learn the game.

Team practices usually start around August 27 and the final games of the campaign usually get played around November 7. Each team is able to play six regular season games and two post-season contests.

Guebert said the fun the kids have is honest and natural.

“You see kids congratulating each other from opposite teams after big plays,” said Guebert. “It is amazing just to see the fundamentals of football at their finest.”

Dustin Gusikoski, who is a Grade 9 quarterback for the Titans team in the Huskie Division, is in his third season playing in the KFL, and he said he has a blast every time he hits the field.

When he first started playing, Gusikoski said he played slowly as he was thinking out what he was supposed to be doing. The 14-year-old said he improved a lot since those humble beginnings.

“I really didn’t know too much coming in, but my coaches helped me a lot,” said Gusikoski. “They helped me understand the game.”

A student at St. Joseph High School, Gusikoski plans to continue to play football in the future and will have a soft spot in his heart for the KFL.

“(I will remember) just making new friends and just all the coaches that helped me along the way and my parents support,” said Gusikoski.

Guebert said the coaches in the KFL do a tremendous job to make the league work.

“We’ve got a great group of coaches and guys that just put their heart and soul into these programs,” said Guebert. “You just see the benefits of it being every week actually the kids are getting better and better.

“I think there are a lot of benefits to being involved in the KFL, and it is just a great launching pad into our academy program and into high school football.”

Eng said the most rewarding aspect of coaching in the KFL is seeing the players improve. The sideline boss said his Titans team films all their games.

Players come away with great memories playing in the KFL.

At the end of the season, they show players the film, so they see the difference of where they were at the start of the season compared to the end of the campaign.

Another joy for the veteran coach is seeing the players continue to play at the high school level and or with the SMF’s academy program.

“When I see these guys move on to play senior high school football, it is pretty rewarding for us to see,” said Eng. “If it is an extra and they go on to play Huskies and Hilltops, that is pretty tremendous.”

For more information on the Kinsmen Football League or programs offered by Saskatoon Minor Football, feel free to check out saskatoonminorfootball.com.

Saskatoon Minor Football rides momentum of national award

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

A running back takes off in a high school academy game in fall of 2020.

For crew at Saskatoon Minor Football, the focus was to keep players playing with no thoughts on getting any awards.

When a big award came from Football Canada, it was a pleasant surprise.

This past April, Saskatoon Minor Football was named the winner of Football Canada’s Organization of the Year Award for 2020. The award was given largely due to the fact Saskatoon Minor Football was able to bring back game action with the world stuck in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Most minor football organizations in Canada weren’t able to take the field in 2020.

The administrators and officials with Saskatoon Minor Football put in countless hours of work formulating return to play plans and ultimately were able to get back on the field.

Brian Guebert, who is the executive director for Saskatoon Minor Football, said the biggest reward was seeing players excited over being able to play the game once again.

“We knew it was worth it from the get go,” said Guebert. “Providing opportunities for our kids to do what they love is our number one priority.

“To give a safe environment in which to do that whether that is COVID safety or player safety, that is priority number one for us and the reason why we are a successful organization and have such a loyal following in the city.”

While a huge national accolade wasn’t expected, Guebert said it was still special for Saskatoon Minor Football to earn recognition as Football Canada’s Organization of the Year Award.

“That is super exciting,” said Guebert. “There are so many great organizations across the country.

The Kinsmen Football League was in action in the fall of 2020.

“To be recognized by our national sports organization as one of the best, that just speaks tonnes to our members, our players, our coaches, and all the organizers involved. We’re super proud of that award.”

Guebert said it was extremely challenging to get back on the field in 2020 dealing with all the Public Health Orders and protocols that were brought in to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with those huge obstacles, he added it was amazing to see everyone involved with Saskatoon Minor Football rally to make a season a reality.

“It was a hero’s effort to try and make everything happen,” said Guebert. “Our coordinators, our board and our coaches, everybody just came together.

“Our managers, our people in charge of COVID protocols. Everybody just stepped up and played a huge role to make sure that could make football happen this past year.”

With high school football getting cancelled in 2020, Saskatoon Minor Football ensured high school aged athletes were able to get on the field creating a six-team academy league in the fall of 2020. The caliber of play in the league was top notch.

“It was awesome like really exciting to see those kids playing,” said Guebert. “All the games were so competitive.

“The talent is really remarkable in Saskatoon and what our coaches can do when you put together kind of even like drafted all-star teams like that. It is a lot of fun. Not enough can be said about the quality of amateur football in our city.”

The Kinsmen Football League also resumed play in the fall of 2020 thanks to the work of Saskatoon Minor Football. Players who were in Grades 6 to 9 took part in six-man tackle contests.

“It was great to see the Kinsmen kids playing too,” said Guebert. “There is just so much credit to our coaches for making it possible to happen.

The Rush spring high school football female flag league is popular.

“There was no junior football last year, and there was no high school football last year. Being able to offer something to our players was so rewarding.”

Saskatoon Minor Football road the momentum it established in 2020 to run a number of successful programs this past May and June. The programs included Tykes on Spikes, which introduces players aged three to six to the game, flag football and six-a-side tackle football for various age groups and the Rush spring high school football female flag league.

On top of those programs, Saskatoon Minor Football ran another series of academy games for high school aged players. Players who took part in the academy games were evaluated for the Saskatoon Minor Football all-star teams that will take part in the Prairie Bowl Series against Regina Minor Football.

In the Prairie Bowl Series, the under-16 and varsity high school all-star teams from Saskatoon Minor Football and Regina Minor Football will take part in respective two-game total-points series. The Prairie Bowl Series starts tonight in Regina.

It wraps up in Saskatoon at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Saturday, July 17. The under-16 game is set for 6 p.m. and the varsity contest follows at 8:30 p.m.

“It is another opportunity just to showcase the talent we have in our city and to involve ourselves in great competition with another amazing organization down with RMF,” said Guebert. “The job (RMF executive director) Len Antonini and his crew did down in Regina is just outstanding as well.

“Any time we have a chance to partner with RMF and do a Prairie Bowl Series like this we jump at the opportunity, and we are really looking forward to these games.”

At all levels of football, Saskatoon and Regina have a sound rivalry. For the players that are involved with the Prairie Bowl Series, Guebert said the rival just adds an extra bonus, and he hopes the players can turn the heads of a few post-secondary coaches.

“Any opportunity these kids have to play more football, they jump at it,” said Guebert. “I think it is great.”

A runner tries to escape in a six-a-side spring tackle game.

Looking forward to the fall, Guebert said there is optimism the season will look a lot more normal than it did in 2020.

Before looking ahead, Guebert added he was really satisfied with how well things went in the spring for Saskatoon Minor Football.

“It has been an awesome spring,” said Guebert. “Even though it was a little condensed and a little in question there at the start, we were so happy we able to get out on the field and make things happen.”

 

For more information on Saskatoon Minor Football, feel free to check out their website saskatoonminorfootball.com.