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For Immediate Release 

December 5, 2023

Football Ontario Unveils 2024 Flag-Football Pathways

Football Ontario Announces Pathways for Flag-Football

Hamilton, Ontario – With Football Canada recently announcing their completely revamped Flag Football Championship Series, Football Ontario is excited to announce the different pathways available to clubs and athletes in Ontario to compete at the National and Provincial level. Football Ontario is also thrilled to announce that Football Ontario will be hosting select National Flag Events in both 2024 and 2025.

With the recent announcement by the IOC that there will be Flag-Football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, these pathways now  provide an opportunity for athletes across Ontario to begin the evaluation process for a possible spot on Team Canada in the future.

ELITE NATIONAL ALL-STAR PATHWAY

The first pathway is the Elite National All-Stars Pathway. This pathway will mirror the current Team Ontario Tackle Pathway in that an All-Star Team will be selected from Identification and Development Camps to represent the province as Team Ontario at the Flag Football National Championships which is to be hosted in Kingston, ON in the Spring of 2024.

In 2024, there will be U14, U16, U18, and 18 Team Ontario represented at Nationals for both Male Flag and Women and Girls Flag. Please see below for the corresponding years for each group.

18 Men and Women (2006)

U18 Boys and Girls (2007/2008)

U16 Boys and Girls(2009/2010)

U14 Boys and Girls (2011/2012)

The first phase of the Elite National All-Stars Pathway will be Identification Camps. Football Ontario is currently looking to host three identification camps in the coming months in different regions of Ontario.  These camps are tentatively scheduled to be held in Ottawa, Waterloo, and Toronto. Once these dates and locations are finalized, Football Ontario will open up registration for these camps.

The second phase will be Development Camp(s), the top athletes from each of the Identification Camps will be invited to attend a Development Camp. Following this Development Camp, the official Team Ontario rosters will be finalized by each coaching staff and announced by the organization. 

Prior to attending the Flag Football National Championships, each of the teams will attend a Training Camp to prepare for the national tournament. 

Finally, the eight Team Ontario teams will attend the Flag Football National Championships which are to be hosted in Kingston, ON in the Spring of 2024. A specific date and venue will be made public at a later date.

Please stay tuned for more information about the Elite Pathway coming soon!

SUMMER GAMES TOUR PATHWAY

With the Recent Announcement that Flag-Football would be a part of the Ontario Summer Games for the first time in history, Football Ontario is thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity for U17 (2008/2009) Clubs across the province. 

The Summer Games will be taking place in London, ON from August 1-4, 2024. Football Ontario is excited to reveal the Summer Games Tour which will allow teams to earn their spot at the 2024 Summer Games, with the chance of becoming the U18 Team Ontario Team in 2025. 

The Summer Games will play host to both a U17 Male Flag Division and a U17 Girls Flag Division.

The Summer Games Tour will Kick-Off in the Spring of 2024 with 6 Regional Tournaments. These 6 Regional Tournaments are tentatively scheduled to take place in:

  1. Hamilton, ON
  2. Waterloo, ON
  3. Durham Region, ON
  4. Halton Region, ON
  5. Ottawa, ON
  6. Sudbury, ON

These tournaments will be sanctioned Football Ontario events run by the organization’s members and partners. Each tournament will play host to a U17 Boys and Girls Division. 

Teams will be allowed to register for and participate in as many of these tournaments as they wish, however, registration will be limited to 8 teams per division at each Regional Tournament on the 2024 Summer Games Tour.

The winning U17 Boys and U17 Girls teams from each of these Regional Tournaments will earn their spot in the 2024 Summer Games, with a total of 6 spots available at the Summer Games per Division.

Please stay tuned to our networks for more information on the Summer Games Tour dates!

PROVINCIAL CLUB NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The Provincial Club Pathway, will be available to the following age groups:

18 Men’s and Women’s (2006)

U18 Boys and Girls (2007/2008)

U16 Boys and Girls (2009/2010)

U14 Boys and Girls(2011/2012)

This pathway will be available to all Football Ontario member organizations/clubs as well as high-schools who are sanctioned partners through OFSAA.

Football Ontario member leagues/organizations will be able to hold their own sanctioned Regional Tournaments throughout the year that will affect team rankings for Provincials and Nationals.

The Provincial Club National Championship Pathway will begin with the 2024 Football Ontario 5-a-Side Flag Provincial Championships. This Provincial Tournament will be hosted and powered by Under Armour Flag in Georgetown, ON, the weekend of August 11th, 2024.

The top team in each of the 8 Divisions will be granted a spot at the 2024 Flag Football Club Championships.

The 2024 Flag Football Club Championships are to be held in the Fall of 2024 in Ontario. A specific location and date will be announced at a later date.

OPEN CLUB PATHWAY

The final pathway will be the Open Club Pathway, this pathway is again available to the following age groups:

SR Men’s and Women’s (2005 and Older)

18 Men’s and Women’s (2006)

U18 Boys and Girls (2007/2008)

U16 Boys and Girls (2009/2010)

U14 Boys and Girls(2011/2012)

The Open Club Championship will be open registration put on by Football Canada for all member clubs/organizations as well as high-school teams who are sanctioned partners through OFSAA.

This event will coincide with the Provincial Club National Championship in the Fall of 2024. Registration will be limited to the top teams based on how they perform at both regional tournaments and the provincial championship.

Football Canada and Football Ontario will be releasing more information on the National Flag Event Schedule in the coming months.

Stay Tuned for More Information on the Various Pathways Coming Soon.

 FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.footballontario.net

ABOUT FOOTBALL ONTARIO: Football Ontario is the sanctioned provincial governing body for football in Ontario, through its focus on transparency, growth, alignment and excellence, is engaged in providing football opportunities for all of Ontario. Football Ontario is driven by a commitment to deliver football programming, opportunities and resources for its members and the provincial football stakeholders. Please visit: footballontario.net