The Mission Statement of our Club

The Calgary Kookaburras is a non profit club whose mission is to provide a competitive and social atmosphere for Canadian and international women to play Australian Rules Football.

Vision of our Club

The Calgary Kookaburras will be a premier club and our vision is to have more girls playing more Australian Rules Football in our Calgary base and abroad.

Player Development Structure

2009 Coaching Group

2009 Captaincy Group

2009 Club Committee

Calgary Kookaburra Club History

Our club was formed on April 30th, 2007, when five girls met up at Kensington's Riley Park for an informal kick of the footy. Several weeks of Monday training sessions and beers afterward at F.A.T.S Bar & Grill led to the creation of the Calgary Kookaburras, in partnership with the Calgary Kangaroos and Calgary Bears men's Australian football clubs. Jake Anson was appointed as the club's inaugural coach, with Bri Johnstone as the club's first captain.

The first major tournament that club members participated in was the first women's international matches of Australian football, held at Vancouver's Thunderbird Stadium on August 4th & 5th. Fourteen Calgary Kookaburras represented Canada in matches against the USA national team. The Canadian national team was coached by Jake Anson.

The club continued to gain momentum on- and off-field throughout summer. The club developed an independent club structure in August, to better focus on growing women's Australian football throughout southern Alberta. Several scrimmages and successful social events were organized, including an AFL Grand Final party. In October our club was invited to compete in the US National Championships, held in Louisville, Kentucky. Our squad of eleven players combined with nine women from the Washington First Lady Eagles to play our first official matches as a football club. Our first victory came in the last match of the US Nationals tournament, when we played against our Washington friends.

At the end of the 2007 season, the club presentation night celebrated the achievements of everyone involved during our successful season. Club vice captain Kathryn Zakus was named as the Nationals Best & Fairest Player, and the Alberta Cup won by the club in the local Gaelic football tournament was displayed.

Calgary Kookaburras Match Results - 2007
Arizona/Denver 6.2 (38) def. Calgary/Washington 2.2 (14)
Milwaukee 3.8 (26) def. Calgary/Washington 1.1 (7)
Atlanta 11.6 (72) def. Calgary/Washington 0.0 (0)
Calgary 6.7 (43) def. Washington 4.2 (26)

Calgary Kookaburras Representing Canada - 2007
Deb Beyersbergen, Lori Bossert, Elise Botero, Tess Brockbank-Smith, Claire Brown, Heather Evans, Vanessa Gardner, Meaghan Goodfellow, Leslie Gurba, Roxanne Kelly, Kristy Liddell, Liz Spruin, Chelsea Watson, Kathryn Zakus, Jake Anson (coach)

In 2008, the Calgary Kookaburras grew bigger and better. A full pre-season and some innovative recruiting saw the club grow to become the largest women's footy team outside Australia. A two-team metro footy league was formed to provide regular match practice for our members and our profile in the community grew through exposure in the press and on television. In October our club competed again in the US National Championships, held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Our squad of twenty-one players performed outstandingly, and we went through the tournament undefeated, to become only the second women's football club to win the Nationals Cup.

Calgary Kookaburras Match Results - 2008
Calgary 6.7 (43) def. Milwaukee 0.0 (0)
Calgary 7.8 (50) def. Arizona 0.1 (1)
Calgary 5.3 (33) def. Denver 1.1 (7)
Calgary 4.3 (27) def. Atlanta 3.4 (22)

In 2009, a larger and more-competitive Calgary Kookaburras club is set on adding to our silverware collection. We will be launching a second Alberta club - the Edmonton Emus - and will kick off a junior league in Calgary. Stay tuned!

Calgary Kookaburras Honour Roll

Calgary Kookaburras Presidents
2007 - Jake Anson
2008 - Jake Anson
2009 - Jake Anson
2010 - Jake Anson
****
Calgary Kookaburras Committee Members
2009 - Jake Anson, Elise Botero, Vicki Hewitt, Rebecca Jones, Ciara Lanigan, Erin MacDonald, Amanda O'Rae
2010 - Jake Anson, Lori Benoit, Vicki Hewitt, Melanie Howard, Caitlin Kidd, Emilie Zaloum
****
Calgary Kookaburras Captains
2007 - Brianne Johnstone
2008 - Kathryn Zakus
2009 - Kathryn Zakus
****
Calgary Kookaburras Life Members
2008 - Meaghan Goodfellow
****
Calgary Kookaburras Best & Fairest Players
2007 - Kathryn Zakus
2008 - Erin LeBlanc
2009 - Lesley Zmurchuk
****
Calgary Kookaburras Best Clubwomen
2007 - Vanessa Gardner & Elise Botero
2008 - Rebecca Jones
2009 - Rebecca Jones
****
Calgary Kookaburras Coach's Awards
2007 - Meaghan Goodfellow
2008 - Lori Bossert
2009 - Vicki Hewitt
****
Calgary Kookaburras Top Goalkickers
2007 - Holly Greatwich
2008 - Holly Greatwich
2009 - Lori Bossert
****
Calgary Kookaburras Best First Year Players
2008 - Erin LeBlanc
2009 - Melanie Howard
****
Calgary Kookaburras Most Improved Players
2009 - Kate Ross
****
Kensington Kingfishers Best & Fairest Players
2008 - Kathryn Zakus
2009 - Kathryn Zakus
****
Hillhurst Nighthawks Best & Fairest Players
2008 - Holly Greatwich
2009 - Lori Bossert
****