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Winnipeg's Princess Auto Stadium recently hosted a major tryout camp for the Canadian men's flag football team, while the Canadian Football League remains in the off-season.
Among the players present, a well-known name in Canadian football caught the eye: Anthony Auclair.
The former National Football League player, who played notably for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, now plays a key role in the development of flag football in Canada and also serves as a coach with the Rouge et Or at Laval University.
According to Auclair, this camp represents a crucial step in the selection process. The Canadian team will need to reduce its roster to just 18 players for the remainder of the project. The intensity is therefore high, with each athlete having to constantly prove their worth to secure a spot on the national team.
Head coach Paul LaPolice confirmed that the level of competition is very high. Several evaluation camps were held across the country to bring together the best available talent ahead of this final phase in Winnipeg.
Traditional football players adapting to flag football
An interesting aspect of this camp is the presence of several players from contact football, invited to test their adaptation to the flag football format. This sport, which is experiencing rapid international growth, will also be featured at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Among them, quarterback Arnaud Desjardins has particularly caught the eye. A former star of Quebec university football, he recently ended his traditional career after the 2025 CFL draft, before being approached for this new challenge.
In five-on-five flag football, the quarterback role is hybrid, sometimes combining the responsibilities of a passer and a receiver, which fits Desjardins' profile well. His speed and mobility had already been noted during the CFL evaluation camp, where he posted an excellent sprint time.
Anthony Auclair also highlighted his positive first impressions, noting that even with little time to adjust, Desjardins has already managed to produce key plays.
For his part, the young quarterback admits that the transition is more complex than expected. Although he benefits from his athletic abilities, he is discovering a sport with rules, routes, and a reading of the game that is very different from contact football.
Despite these challenges, the Canadian team continues to make progress with a clear goal: to build a competitive team capable of performing on the international stage and, eventually, at the Olympic Games.
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