Flag Football Gatineau: Growing a community of players
Jude Osmond
Flag football has seen a resurgence in popularity in the region ever since Flag Football Gatineau touched down, transforming the landscape for players. The recreational league holds games every Sunday from 5 pm to 10 pm at Grande-Rivière High School. It provides great playing opportunities for people of all ages, including teenagers, adults and seniors, enabling them to stay active and have fun while still maintaining the game's competitive edge.
Flag Football Gatineau features many divisions, including mixed, women-only and men-only. The game is played in the spring and the fall. This spring, Flag Football Gatineau has seen a surge in participation, with 48 teams now playing in the league's tournaments every Sunday.
The evolution of the league
Pier-Luc Beauregard founded Flag Football Gatineau in the fall of 2023. What started as a small league of just eight teams (four adult and four youth) turned out to be a major success among men and women alike.
The league initially played at Collège Nouvelles Frontières. However, as the number of teams increased, they moved to Grande-Rivière High School, which can accommodate multiple teams playing simultaneously.
Beauregard, an avid flag football enthusiast who has coached and played on a team himself, mentioned he wanted the sport to be more accessible locally, which was the main reason he created Flag Football Gatineau. “I started to build a network to find out who was interested, so that we could play here in the region and not have to cross the bridge to Ontario,” he said.
The league was a hit from the outset, with teams enjoying themselves while competing.
However, Beauregard knew there was potential for more teams and players. Fast-forward to 2025, and the league was attracting more attention, not just from friends but also from players with no prior connection to the league who just wanted to play. “For the first time, people were signing up with whom I had never spoken,” he shared.
He added that it was amazing to see total strangers sign up. “There are multiple teams now that I don’t know, which makes me realize how far we've come.”
The future of the league
Flag Football Gatineau is set to grow, with plans for more teams and increased support. They are hoping to secure more field time to increase the number of games from 9 to 12, as players want to play more and the City of Gatineau wants to see more of the sport. Beauregard has considered the idea and said he will be the first in line to sign up for a winter season once the sports dome at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) is finally completed, as it will allow several sports to be practised year-round.
The league has evolved significantly over the years, not only in the number of players but also in staff and the addition of referees, scorekeepers, and stat trackers. These individuals track each player’s stats and each game’s stats, which are made available to fans and players on the website.
Injuries are always a possibility on football fields, whether it's flag or contact, and Flag Football Gatineau is looking for physical trainer students to join their team on game days and keep watch for injuries.
Flag Football Gatineau offers a competitive atmosphere and fantastic football across all divisions. Residents are welcome to drop by Grande-Rivière High School on Sunday evenings to watch a game.