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Saskatoon’s Ella Sowden was expecting to leave SMF Field on Wednesday morning with maybe a few new shirts.
Instead, she walked across the field in front of her Institute of Saskatchewan Football teammates to accept a life-changing scholarship to continue her flag football career.
“This was a complete surprise,” Sowden said. “I thought this was like a Lululemon drop, I didn’t think I won. I was supposed to interview with them tomorrow, so definitely a big surprise.”
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Sowden, 18, was blindsided with the Women’s Flag Football International Scholarship through the NFL and RCX Sports Foundation given to elite international athletes pursuing the sport at a post-secondary level.
While the full monetary amount was not disclosed by the NFL or RCX Foundation, Sowden has received a “significant five-figure scholarship” which will go towards tuition at Lindsey Wilson University in Kentucky to continue her flag football career with the Blue Raiders.
“It means a lot to me because I’ve been working towards this for so long,” Sowden said.
“I know that a scholarship like this can help so many young flag players all over the world. Me being able to represent this scholarship, this foundation and the NFL, and just youth sports is an incredible opportunity.”
Sowden’s family was on-hand at SMF Field to surprise their daughter with the scholarship, which the new Centennial Collegiate graduate said made for a special moment after the presentation.
“The fact that they hid this for me so well, it’s crazy,” Sowden said. “This is the best grad gift I could actually hope for.”
Only two women across the world have received the scholarship this year, with the other recipient being Kansas Wesleyan University defensive back and wide receiver Laura Hernández Sánchez who is originally from Spain.
Sowden first discovered flag football three years ago and has spent the last two seasons competing with the Institute of Saskatchewan Football program.
Executive director Brian Guebert said there’s no one more deserving of the scholarship than Sowden.
“Ella is fantastic,” Guebert said.
“She’s a leader, she’s just a daily grinder. She works hard in the gym, on the field and then provides leadership to our next generation of female athletes. It’s awesome to have a role model like that and somebody that our future girls can look up to.”
A standout member of the Saskatchewan U18 provincial flag football team as a defensive back, Sowden has showcased her skills at national senior women’s identification camps and is a coach with the ‘Tykes on Spikes’ program.
Emmarae Dale, defensive coordinator for the ISF girls flag football team, said this recognition is incredibly important to the growth of the sport in Saskatchewan.
“Ella is the most deserving kid,” Dale said.
“She’s worked so hard and has been so dedicated to flag (football). We have worked really hard to make flag (football) a real opportunity here in Saskatchewan, so to see something like that come to fruition on an international level is just so exciting to see.”
While her time in the local Saskatoon program is nearing its conclusion with her collegiate career right around the corner, Sowden still feels a strong connection to SMF Field and all the snaps she’s taken over the past three years.
“A lot of hard work,” Sowden said. “A lot of time put into it, a lot of weekends spent at the field, a lot of my time spent here. This has become my second home.”
Women’s flag football has exploded in popularity and not only is being featured more prominently at the U Sports and NCAA levels in Canada and the United States, the sport will be on full display at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, Calif. when flag football makes its Olympic debut.
Guebert said elite-level athletes are starting to earn more opportunities to play, including their group of women and girls in Saskatchewan.
“It speaks to the direction the game is going,” Guebert said. “Just how much more potential we have to grow and the high-performance opportunities that are going to be available for our girls right here in Saskatoon.”
Sowden will get the chance to keep playing with the Blue Raiders, while pursuing a four-year degree in sports management at Lindsey Wilson.
An opportunity to unite her athletic and academic goals, which she hopes other girls in the province can aspire to in the coming years.
“I hope I’m an inspiration to others,” Sowden said. “I’d like to say I am, especially for young girls and keeping them in sports. Showing them what flag football can produce and the opportunities around it.”
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