Crossfield will host the inaugural Girls Power Weekend on Sept. 20, 2025. In a press package, the Crossfield Minor Soccer Association described the one-day event as designed to “empower, inspire, and unite girls and women from across rural Alberta through the game of soccer and the community that surrounds it.”
The same document cites participation data: “The dropout rate is stark: 1 in 3 girls stop playing sport by late adolescence, compared to just 1 in 10 boys.”
“From my perspective, the problem is retention,” said Duncan Hawkins, president of the Crossfield Minor Soccer Association. “In Canada, and especially in rural areas, we see girls leaving sports far too early, and that also includes soccer, which means that there are fewer players and fewer women in leadership roles and fewer women referees supporting the sport.”
“So the intent of the Girls Power Weekend was an answer to a call to action that was put out by Canada Soccer and Alberta Soccer based on the numbers that were declining in the girls' presence in the sport.”
Crossfield’s mayor gave a civic endorsement. “This weekend represents so much more than just games on the field – it's about empowering the next generation of strong, independent women who will lead our communities forward,” wrote Mayor Kim Harris in the press package.
Burns, committee lead for Girls Power Weekend, framed it as a culture issue. “One of the reasons for retention that we're starting to see is girls in history have been made to feel like their sport isn't designed for girls,” she said. “There's a lot of unique needs around being a female athlete, and just in history, these haven't been considered when creating these leagues.”
Hawkins noted the problem peaks during adolescence. “A lot of the retention issue tends to happen around the age of puberty, in and around that 11-year-old time frame, and when girls don't have their own tribe, they tend to drop off in numbers,” he said. “And that's been happening for such a long period of time that there aren't a lot of girls who are coming into soccer at a young enough age in order to grow the sport so that there are teams for them when they hit that pubescent time period.”
The press kit adds another number: “Sadly, 62 per cent of Canadian girls are not participating in any sport activity at all, reflecting a sharp national gap.”
Hawkins pointed to small but steady growth in Crossfield. “So five years ago, we had fewer than 20 girls that were registered in Crossfield Minor Soccer Association,” he said. “Today, we've more than doubled that to around 50 players. And you have to appreciate that's coming out of COVID as well.”
“The great thing is, we've separated the girls and the boys in order to create pods starting as early as under five years of age,” he added. “So we're putting girls together and celebrating girls young enough so that it leads into them wanting to come back for under seven years of age, under nine, and so on.”
Big Country Soccer Association president Cody Craig said rural players need more opportunities. “When Crossfield Minor Soccer approached Big Country Soccer Association (BCSA) with the idea, we were in. The opportunities for girls (and women) to play soccer in rural areas are limited, and BCSA wants to do something about it,” he added. “Who will run the world? Girls!”
The disparity between urban and rural programs is part of the challenge. “When you look at the urban center compared to the rural dilemma, in rural it's typically 100 per cent volunteer-based,” Hawkins said. “And a lot of these parents and volunteers don't necessarily have the sort of time or skill set to market the programs, and in this case, specifically for the importance of girls in sports.”
“There's also been a difference in educating families. When you're in the urban centers, that information is very available. It's almost part of the culture of the actual club in question. In rural areas, it's less available because it's not a typical part of the volunteer base. They lack the knowledge of what is needed to build a sustainable model that allows girls to have that opportunity every year in which to participate in sports.”
The press release emphasized community goals: “Girls Power Weekend is more than just soccer — it’s about creating space for girls to be strong, confident, and seen. This initiative brings the community together around a common purpose: building a better future through sport,” said Burns.
The schedule shows soccer festivals for U5 through U11, on-field play for older age groups, and workshops for athletes and parents. Sessions range from nutrition and mental wellness to teamwork and confidence.
Workshop titles include Fuel her Fire: Nutrition for Confident, Healthy Athletes led by Tri Fit Training; Strong Bodies, Strong Minds led by Access Chiropractic and Wellness; and Teamwork! Be a Role Model! led by local women firefighters.
The day is set to close with a keynote by players from Calgary Wild FC. The program notes: “Get ready for an inspiring and impactful keynote session as players from the Calgary Wild take the stage to share their experiences and insights on balancing life and sport, and what it truly means to be a leader both on and off the field.”
The bios in the press kit list Calgary Wild defender Grace Stordy’s background with the University of Memphis Tigers and Portugal’s SC Braga, and goalkeeper Sarah Keilty-Dilling’s NCAA records at the University of Texas at El Paso before returning to play with Calgary Foothills.
Hawkins said the event came together quickly. “For this event, it's a one-day event because the decision to do it happened at the end of July, because we didn't hear back from other rural districts that wanted to launch a full provincial campaign.”
“We did a one day event in our first day of registration this week, we have 36 girls and six women who are registered to attend this event. We are anticipating numbers around 100, that's what we're shooting for right now, and our early metrics are suggesting that's going to be a very achievable target.”
“And what makes that very interesting is the way we've set up our registration is to identify the communities from which the registrants are coming, and we have registrations from multiple rural communities across the region. So it's not just related to Crossfield. We're getting a lot of traction in other rural areas that are saying, Hey, this is a really neat opportunity for girls. We want to register and see what this is all about.”
“We're already starting to receive sponsorship for our 2026 event, which hasn't yet been formally planned, but we now have sponsors that want to step up and say, Hey, we don't have it in the budget already this year because our annual review was already done financially, but we're setting money aside. We want you guys to do this again next year,” Hawkins said.
The press package confirms that Girls Power Weekend will expand to a two-day format in 2026 and beyond.”
Hawkins said his motivation is long-term. “Well, there's, there's a lot of things that go into that, and I can speak from my personal experience and having coached for a number of years, where, when I've coached girls who have gone on to scholarship opportunities and then and what that has done for them, as well as the next generation, a lot of that has been because they were involved in sports or organized sports in the urban centers where resources were available.”
“I think that there is a cry from the rural community that a lot of these kids and we're speaking girls too specifically, but kids in general do not have those same opportunities to explore what they can do for their lives and what they can provide back to society. Things like this are a deep passion for me to give kids the opportunity.”
“What I've noticed is not even from a mental standpoint, but from a physical just creating a healthy long term relationship with activity and movement and kind of putting a positive connotation on it versus not,” Burns said.
“And then as well, also just being able to deal with conflict, because there are definitely challenges of being a woman in sports and also just kind of setting them up for maybe adversity that they're going to experience again once they grow beyond sport and looking back and saying, Hey, I dealt with something similar being a young athlete.”
The press package also includes a message from Alberta Soccer Association board members Neelam Chawla and Alison Meaney: “The Girls Power Weekend is more than just soccer. It is a celebration of girls and women in our sport, designed not only to provide fun and learning on the field but also to support growth and confidence off the field through workshops, mentorship, and community connection.”
The press package closes by describing the weekend as “more than an event — it is a movement,” and dedicates the effort to “every girl who has ever doubted her place in sport.”
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