For most of her football career, Kelsey McKnight experienced the game from the field. The sports management student spent a month in May inside a CFL training camp through the CFL’s Women in Football Program presented by KPMG, getting a look at what goes into preparing a professional football team.
In an interview with The Brock Press, McKnight shared how was one of nine participants in the 2026 program, which matches women with CFL teams to gain experience in areas such as coaching, football operations and athletic therapy. McKnight was placed with the Edmonton Elks special teams in a coaching role.
For McKnight, the opportunity was built on years of playing football. She is a player and operations coordinator with Brock’s women’s flag football team, but her experience with the Elks introduced her to parts of the game she had never dealt with before.
Her interest in football started when she was five years old after her father, who played flag football for Team Canada, introduced her to the sport. She began playing herself in Grade 7 and continued through high school and university.
When she joined Brock’s flag football program in her first year, she was primarily experiencing football as a player. With the Elks, she got to see what happens on the other side of the game.
McKnight worked with the team’s special team’s department alongside Des Catellier. Her responsibilities included: posting depth charts, attending meetings, helping organize players and assisting with drills during practice.
After practice, her work continued with film. She timed kicks and punts, recorded hang times and prepared spreadsheets for meetings before continuing with more meetings, dinner and preparation for the following day.
One of the biggest challenges was learning a side of football that did not exist in the game she was used to playing.
“There’s no special teams in flag football,” McKnight said. “You don’t punt, you don’t kick or anything. So, when I heard I was in the special team’s department, I didn’t really know much about it. But I was blessed because I got to learn a lot.”
The experience gave McKnight an opportunity to see how much preparation goes into the parts of football fans may only see for a few seconds during a game.
Instead of simply watching a punt or kickoff, she was involved in the preparation behind it. From meetings and film to tracking the details coaches use to evaluate players.
For McKnight, being around that environment also meant adjusting to a professional football setting where she was often the only woman in the room.
“It was intimidating, especially because in most of the environments I was the only female in the room,” she said. “It was very intimidating, but everyone was so welcoming.”
As she became more comfortable, McKnight said she found herself participating in conversations she previously would not have imagined being part of game planning with coaches.
“I can’t believe I’m allowed to hear all of this stuff,” she said.
That experience became more about learning about the technical side of football. McKnight said it also changed how she viewed herself within the sport.
“It gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to speak up and say what’s on my mind,” said McKnight.
McKnight described herself as shy and introverted and said she would not normally approach someone first, particularly when discussing football. Her experience with the Elks encouraged her to speak with coaches and staff, share her knowledge and continue developing her coaching skills.
She also left with a broader understanding of where a career in football could take her.
“I would recommend the Women in Football Program to any women who is interested in football, even if you aren’t completely sure what industry you want to go into,” McKnight said. “The program taught me everything. Not just coaching but operations and sponsorships.”
After spending a month inside a CFL training camp, McKnight returned to Brock with a better understanding of how professional football operates. She developed a new appreciation for the work that happens away from the field and the confidence to keep finding her place in the sport.