Rachel Lessard Named Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s National Flag Football Team Ahead of the LA 2028 Olympics
Ottawa, ON – May 8th – Football Canada is proud to announce the appointment of Rachel Lessard as Head Coach of the Senior Women’s National Flag Football Team. With over 29 years of combined experience as an elite player and coach, Lessard will lead Canada’s top athletes onto the global stage at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, as momentum builds toward the discipline’s debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A World Champion in 2010 as an athlete and the only female head coach currently active on Quebec’s university football circuit, Lessard brings a rare blend of high-performance insight, strategic innovation, and lived player experience to the national program. She has earned multiple national and international medals in both coaching and playing roles, including gold at the 2024 National Senior Championships, gold at the 2024 Tampa World Championships, bronze as Team Canada’s Defensive Coordinator at the 2023 Americas Cup and most recently coaching Universite de Montréal to their 2nd Canadian Collegiate Flag Football Championship national title.
“It’s always a great feeling when you can find leaders from within, people who have been involved in your program for years and have contributed to the game in multiple ways”, said Katie Miyazaki, Director of High Performance for Football Canada, “Rachel has a deep understanding of what it takes to perform at the highest level and how to be a leader in that space. She’s a proven winner and we are certain that under Coach Lessard’s guidance, our athletes will be well-positioned to achieve their fullest potential on the international stage.”
Rachel is nationally known for fusing pedagogical expertise with on-field strategy. She has served as Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator for Montreal’s Cayenne Senior team, Quebec’s U18 Provincial Excellence Program, and the Université de Montréal, consistently producing championship-calibre results and some of the most disciplined defences in the country.
“This game has given me everything”, Rachel Lessard told Football Canada, “I am proud and humbled to have the privilege to lead these extraordinary athletes. Eyes on the podium. The journey starts now.”
With Lessard at the helm, Canada will head to Chengdu, China in August 2025 to compete against the world’s top women’s flag football programs. The event will serve as a critical benchmark as Football Canada builds toward Olympic qualification and long-term international dominance.
Football Canada’s final National ID Camp will be held in Montréal from May 22nd to May 24th at the Université de Montréal. There will be in-person media availability for coaches at this event, with time and location to follow.
Further details on the Women’s National Flag Football Team roster and the 2025 World Games schedule will be released in the coming months.
About Football Canada:
Football Canada is the national governing body for amateur football in Canada. Since 1884, it has worked to develop and promote safe and inclusive football opportunities from grassroots to national team levels. Football Canada also leads the country’s top flag football competitions, including the Elite Flag Nationals, Senior Men’s Flag Championship, Club Flag Nationals, and the Canadian Collegiate Flag Football Championship.
Media Contact:
Braydon Stachel
Marketing and Communications Manager
Football Canada
bstachel@footballcanada.com
