Stampede Cup is the biggest day of footy annually in Alberta, with men's and women's clubs from across western Canada travelling to play during North America's biggest outdoor festival - the Calgary Stampede. Stampede Cup 2009 was a great showcase of footy, with men's clubs from Burnaby, Edmonton and Vancouver joining the local Kangaroos and Bears teams in a round-robin tournament, and the best of Alberta's women playing an exhibition match in front of a large and lively crowd at Saints Rugby Fields.
The women's exhibition match provided an opportunity to mix our three squads up and to provide opportunities for our new players to lead on-field. A rule allowing only first-year players - specifically Edmonton Emus - to play in the midfield was introduced to encourage their development.
Several first-year players impressed during the match. Alena Manera, Neda Dalili and Marie Galick of Edmonton, Emilie Zaloum and Lauren Howard of Hillhurst and Melanie Howard of Kensington all showed remarkable improvement since their debuts in May and June, and the standard of women's footy is improving markedly each month. Marie and Lauren both kicked their first goals in Alberta Blues' 40-point victory over Alberta Teals. Erin LeBlanc was best-on-ground, kicking three goals and dominating in the midfield for the Blues alongside fellow Gaelic-convert Lesley Zmurchuk. Alena was named best first-year player.
The teams celebrated the match long into the night at Kookaburras' sponsor venue Bottlescrew Bill's Pub, which was busy with a large Stampede crowd. Squad lists, scores and goal-kickers from the day are featured on the Alberta Footy Women's League results page.
