There is a controversy raging over girl’s high school flag football in Sudbury.
The rules from a governing body in Ontario have changed, and the game is now limited to seven players per side and some players and coaches are not happy.
For most it just looks like a regular game of flag football, but for players and coaches it’s not football.
There's a petition out there called ‘Save Girl’s 12 vs. 12 Contact Flag Football.’
It was started by the head coach of College Notre Dame's team over the change to ‘seven a side.’
They say the change means it's now a different game.
Emelie Cote is a flag football player for College Notre Dame.
“Everyone has to catch, everyone has to be able to run, everyone. No one has specific jobs, everyone has the same job, essentially." said Cote.
In a statement, the Rainbow District School Board says:
"Rainbow District School Board complies with the Ontario Physical Education Safety Guidelines. OPHEA does not permit body contact, including: blocking, picking, and screening, in flag football. For this reason, we have adopted a 7 x 7 format."
Norm Blaseg is the Director of Education for the Rainbow District School Board.
He says the school’s athletic association is asking for a review and some modifications, but in the meantime, it'll be seven on seven.
Local coach Veronique St-Jean says with 12 on 12 players knew their roles and felt safe on the field.
“There were rules in place on how you can block, how you can try to like defend your flags. And it's unfortunate because, you know, we’re not given the option of equipment. And I guarantee you if we had equipment, we would be allow to play just like the boys do." said St-Jean.
So far, the petition has gained over 24,000 supporters.
Currently, its estimated 500 girls participate in flag football from 13 different schools across the city.
