Edmonton Elks Football Club visits Yellowknife for youth flag football camp
Published 4:12 pm Thursday, July 2, 2026
The Edmonton Elks Football Club was in town late last month to bring the sport of football to dozens of youth in the city.
The Canadian Football League outfit partnered with Canadian North to visit Yellowknife to host an introductory flag football camp for around 50 youth between the ages six to 16.
Elks defensive lineman Jared Brinkman helped lead the camp, along with Brett Jackson, the team’s manager of partnership servicing and sales, senior manager Ryan Jagoe and videographer Brent Stephen flew into town for the camp. Canadian North captain Jeff Bowden chaperoned the group throughout their trip.
“A big purpose of the trip was for us to come up there and kind of spread the gospel of football,” said Jackson. “It was super cool to interact with the kids up there.”
The flag football camp was held at the Yellowknife Fieldhouse with different stations set up across the fields where youth learned about football, practiced basic drills, develop their skills and build confidence. The youth were divided into groups by age and practiced throwing, catching, blocking and basic formations, while learning the rules of the game.
“It was two hours of fun, just kids with smiling faces,” said Jackson.
Jackson said the youth showed a mix of skills.
“There were definitely some kids that you could tell had played before and definitely some kids that probably never even touched a football before,” he said.
The camp gave Brinkman the opportunity to interact with youth and tell them about his path towards being a professional football player to encourage youth to pursue sports. The young participants were able to get a photo with Brinkman and receive autographs.
“A lot of these kids had never had the opportunity to play a sport like football,” said Brinkman, adding that this was a “unique” situation for him. “Where I come from, every kid has that opportunity.”
The Elks and Canadian North also handed out swag, such as bucket hats, sunglasses, candy and frisbees. There was also a barbecue at the event.
“It’s just a fun experience to give back,” said Brinkman. “Seeing them have fun meant the world to me.”
The Elks also brought the flag football camp to phys-ed classes in schools throughout the day. The team visited K’alemi Dene School in Ndilo, N.J. Macpherson School and Sir John Franklin High School.
Brinkman said it seemed like if more youth had the chance to play football, they would and that the highlight of his trip was seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when they got to play football for the first time.
“I’m just glad we had the opportunity to give them that experience,” said Brinkman. “Every kid should have the same opportunity and if you give those kids in Yellowknife that opportunity, you know, they’re going to make the most of it.”
Jackson said for him, the school visits were more impactful, as they met a wider range of youth and even more who had never seen or touched football before.
“We’re not only in the business of playing football games,” said Jackson. “Our core interests are here to help develop the game of amateur football across Northern Alberta as well as Northern Canada.”
Jackson said since the Edmonton Elks is located close to the North, the team’s fan base stretches beyond Edmonton, and events like this can help it grow further.
“Over the past couple seasons, we’ve been prioritizing community growth,” said Jackson, adding that hosting a youth flag football camp became a “no-brainer,” considering the team’s connections in Yellowknife.
Anthony Hume, a teacher at K’alemi Dene School, helped organize the events. Hume used to be coached by Chris Morris, the current president and CEO of the Edmonton Elks.
Jackson said being able to playing sports as a child is an integral part of growing up and that the team wanted to help grow the game of youth and amateur football for months and years to come.
“If we can help just be like a little part of that journey, that’s what we’re there for,” said Jackson. “Although it was a short trip, it was an impactful one. We had just as much fun as the kids had.”