Nadia Doucouré one of many women forging a new path in football

Pat Steinberg

CFL.ca

@Fan960Steinberg

Happy International Women’s Day 2025!

Over the last number of years on IWD, it’s been great to highlight how the Canadian Football League has taken, and continues to take, a leading role in making this sport more accessible. And while it takes time to change a traditionally male-dominated landscape, the shift is happening.

We’re entering year four of the CFL’s Women in Football Program presented by KPMG, which has been an extremely successful venture since its inception. At the same time, the 2024 campaign saw two women serve on CFL coaching staffs.

And while this shifting landscape is still in its early stages, the trailblazers are starting to make an impact.

Nadia Doucouré is one of those forging a new path after going through the Women in Football Program in 2022 while at Carleton University. That led to a job with the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ staff, including a full-time position the last two seasons as an offensive quality control coach. And it also led to others wanting to follow in her footsteps.

“I’ve actually gotten to meet (Nadia) a couple times down at Carleton and pick her brain,” said Liya Equbagzi while participating in last year’s Women in Football Program with the Toronto Argonauts. A student at Carleton at the time, there’s no doubt Equbagzi was inspired by Doucouré’s journey.

“Just to see everything she’s doing and to see everyone she’s inspiring. That just motivates you to keep going and hopefully little girls or anybody sees you down the road and hopefully you can be that inspiration for them. She’s been great.”

The same is true for Tanya Henderson, who has unquestionably opened all kinds of doors for women to pursue a career in the sport. In February 2022, Henderson became the first woman to serve full-time on a CFL staff when she was hired by the BC Lions. She spent three years with the Lions before parting ways with the team in January.

Still active in the sport on the west coast, and by no means done her coaching career, Henderson made important waves three years ago that are still being felt today.

Bella Forbes went through the Women in Football Program presented by KPMG in a football operations role with Hamilton last year (Ticats.ca)

“Obviously being the first female (coach), that is a huge win,” Henderson said at her introductory news conference in 2022. “But myself, I look at it as the job is the job and I’m here to coach. But I am well aware of the impact that…the first female has on the female football community and just the football community in general.”

That impact can’t be overstated.

Every year, the league and individual teams see more applications for the Women in Football Program. And each year, we see multiple participants parlay their experience in the program to full-time work in the CFL. It’s something being noticed across the country.

“It’s an invaluable experience, I think,” Bella Forbes told CFL.ca while going through the program in a football operations role with Hamilton last year. “There’s not a chance I would have ever pictured myself having this opportunity without the program running, just because sports is so close knit.

“It’s sort of all about who you know…and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get this experience or meet the people I’ve met or do the things I’ve done without this program running. I’m extremely grateful for that.”

On this International Women’s Day, it’s great to see things changing in football. We’re seeing it on both sides of the border and at all levels of the sport. So, whether you’re a part of the 2025 Women in Football cohort, interested in applying in the future, or just enthusiastic about this amazing game, the message is clear: the door is open and that’s not changing.

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