Camara Wilson wishes her father could have seen her team take the field. For years, she had been trying to build a women's flag football program at Carleton University. There were meetings, setbacks and long stretches when progress seemed painfully slow. Then, in 2023, her father died.
A former Carleton Ravens player, he was the reason Wilson fell in love with football in the first place. When the team finally took the field not long after her father's passing, she felt his presence. “He's been with me every single moment,” she said. “A lot of what I do was for him.”
Olympic debut and U Sports pilot program
Women's flag football is growing at a remarkable pace across Ottawa and the country. The sport will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, while U Sports recently announced women's flag football would become a pilot sport beginning in 2027-28, creating a national university pathway that did not exist for previous generations of athletes.
For players like Laiya Evraire, the timing feels almost surreal. Football has been woven into Evraire's life for as long as she can remember. Her uncle is Ken Evraire, the former Ottawa Rough Rider and longtime sportscaster. Both of her parents also played the sport. She started playing at five years of age and eventually became one of the driving forces behind the creation of Carleton's club team, along with Wilson.
From discouragement to opportunity
“There wasn't really a pathway,” Evraire said. “I remember feeling discouraged.” While many of her friends who played hockey, soccer or volleyball spent their teenage years exploring university opportunities tied to their sports, football players rarely had that luxury. For years, girls who loved football often reached the end of high school and found themselves wondering where they could continue competing.
Now they have an answer. The U Sports announcement arrived just as Evraire completed her undergraduate degree and began considering her next chapter academically. Suddenly, women's flag football players could realistically imagine competing within the Canadian university sports system. “Seeing this potentially being my future, it's everything that I've ever wanted since I was a little girl,” she said.
Building trust on and off the field
One of the teammates who played a big role in Carleton's program was Sylina Wright, who first discovered football through Evraire and the football-obsessed family that surrounded her. Wright spent years playing with the Nepean Eagles before becoming a defensive captain at Carleton. What keeps her invested in the sport is not necessarily interceptions or championships, but the trust that develops between teammates.
Women's flag football is booming across the city as the sport gains popularity ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics. For Wilson and Evraire, co-founders of Carleton University's women's flag football team, the growth represents a long-fought victory. Their efforts have helped create a foundation that will benefit future generations of female athletes in Ottawa and beyond.
