Football Canada names LaPolice, Lessard coaches of national flag teams

Football Canada unveiled two key pieces of its plan to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic flag football tournament, naming head coaches for its men’s and women’s teams on Thursday.

The men’s squad will be headed by former CFL head coach Paul LaPolice, who currently works as an analyst for TSN, while University of Montreal assistant coach Rachel Lessard will lead the women’s team.

LaPolice brings a resume full of offensive coaching from across the CFL, most recently as the head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks from 2020-22.

Lessard, a Montreal native who has played and coached for Canada at the world championships, has been the defensive co-ordinator of the women’s flag team at U of M since 2022.

“This means everything because this sport is my life,” said Lessard. “To be there to see the players play the best football ever … it’s a dream come true and I’m excited and committed to bring Canada to the podium.”

Lessard was a competitive flag football player who retired in 2015 after suffering a concussion away from football. Seven years later,  she returned to her sport by accepting the coaching role at U of M.

“I always saw myself as a player and not a coach, even though every team I played on I was calling the defence,” she said. “Well, I have the same fun as a coach as a player. When I saw how good the athletes are I knew I would love it, and I could bring the game to another level with my defence. [The players] trusted me to have a good football brain.”

LaPolice was originally approached by Football Canada to be part of the committee hiring the head coach. Instead, he suggested he would apply for the job, despite having only coached flag at the high school level.

“I am fully committed to this,” said LaPolice. “What’s great about it is this is the ground floor. I know I can provide a professional presence that can help flag football in Canada close the gap with the U.S.”

The USA is currently the world’s no. 1 ranked team in men’s flag football, with Canada 12th. In the women’s game, the USA is also top-ranked, with Canada sixth.

LaPolice, originally from New Hampshire, came to Canada to coach in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts in 2000 and has remained here ever since, residing with his family outside of Ottawa.

“I’ve been up here for 25 years, during which time I’ve had relationships with U Sports and CFL football and now high school with my son,” he said. “All of these communities have been good to me. This is a cool experience so that has an American who has made this my home, I get to represent Canada and help put them in position to reach the Olympics.

Canada’s women’s team will participate in the world championships  this August in China, while Canada’s men’s team did not qualify for this year’s event.

Canada has previously been represented at the world championships by a domestic champion club. However, with Olympic participation on the calendar for 2028, Football Canada has been holding camps across Canada in recent months to identify the best players, coming from club and university teams.

It is believed that as the Olympics grow closer, the team will be able to attract recently retired CFL and NFL players into the mix.

“It’s an amazing opportunity of a lifetime that will make the sport continue to grow,” said LaPolice.

Lessard concurred that Olympic participation will help accelerate the growth she’s already witnessing in her sport.

“I already see a difference from 2022 to now,” she said. “The schemes of the plays are so much better, coaches are taking notes, and players are really seeing 2028 as a goal.”