Sixteen-year-old Alivia Trudeau is helping the Airdrie Female Raiders tackle gender barriers.
The Grade 11 Bert Church High School student played several sports including soccer, track and field, and badminton when she was younger, but never really found one that “fit” until she started playing tackle football with the Airdrie Female Raiders three years ago.
“My younger brother played flag football and there were some girls on the team, and they were throwing further than the boys,” she says.
“When I was younger, my dad taught me how to throw and I had a better arm than anyone I knew, so I made it my goal to play.”
It is safe to say she has met and surpassed that goal. In July 2024, Trudeau went to Fredericton, N.B., to play on the Football Alberta U18 Women’s Team.
“It was an amazing experience,” she says. “We came in second place. We really played our hearts out, but, more than that, it was about getting to know each other and bonding. It is really a sisterhood out there.”
The Airdrie Female Raiders were established in 2022 and has grown to about 20 players. The team is part of the Southern Alberta Female Football League, which consists of six teams including Red Deer, Airdrie, Lethbridge, Okotoks and two Calgary teams.
“There is a true comradery among these girls,” says Head Coach Dawn Sorsdahl. “They become so empowered when they know they can succeed in a typically male-dominated sport, and they learn so many valuable skills on the field that will translate into their everyday lives.”
Sorsdahl says she understands that taking part in a physical sport like football can be intimidating for some girls and their parents, but the coaches and other players do their best to ensure the girls are prepared before they suit up and step onto the field.
“We host Football 101 sessions where we teach the knowledge and nuances of the sport,” says Sorsdahl, who has been a coach for ten years and trainer at Genesis Place Recreation Centre for 12.
“We teach how to hit, how to fall and all the plays. By the time you get on the field, you will have the skills you need.”
She adds that the formal training and practices also instil valuable lessons about leadership and teamwork in the girls.
Those are lessons Trudeau has taken to heart. She is one of the players who travels to local schools with the Raiders to promote female football.
“Female football is such an inclusive space, and we want to share it with as many girls as possible,” she says.
“When we go to the schools, there are so many girls that are interested, but they might be scared to take that first step. We are here to tell them how fun it is and encourage them that females are capable of so much more than we think. You just don’t know what you can do (or what you will love) until you try!”
Trudeau’s 14-year-old sister, Brianna, also plays on the Airdrie Female Raiders.
“As the oldest of three siblings, I have always had leadership characteristics, but it truly makes my heart happy to teach a girl to throw a football,” Trudeau says.
“It’s 2025, there is no such things as ‘boys’ sports.’ Females have a place in every sport (and, sometimes, that place is above the boys who play it).”
Sordahl adds the team also participates in several community and fundraising initiatives to help the players become leaders off the field, as well.
“We are not only breaking gender barriers here, we are teaching them the skills they need to be not just better players, but better people,” says Sorsdahl.
For more information on the Airdrie Female Raiders, visit airdriefootball.com/female-raiders.
