The Toronto Argonauts have honoured Tanya “Flutie” Bezzant, our Director of Football Operations, with the Future of Football Community Coach Award. She received it at the Toronto Argonauts’ second annual Future of Football Game, hosted in partnership with the Buffalo Bills at BMO Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
The award recognizes her heart, leadership, teamwork, planning and organizing, and her work developing the next generation as a mentor in flag football. Anyone who has been around our fields knows it was well earned.
Quick facts
- Award: Future of Football Community Coach Award
- Honoured by: Toronto Argonauts
- Event: Second annual Future of Football Game, with the Buffalo Bills
- Date and place: Saturday, October 3, 2026, BMO Field, Toronto
- Her roles: Director of Football Operations, Toronto Flag Football League; U14 Girls head coach, Football Ontario Junior Elite Team Ontario Flag; head coach, University of Toronto Fall 5’s girls flag football team (2026-2027); coach, Havergal College flag football team
What she does for the league
Behind every schedule, every game day and every smiling player is Flutie making it happen. As Director of Football Operations she keeps a league that plays on Saturdays and Sundays running smoothly, so kids, coaches, referees and families can just show up and play.
“Coaching is about showing every player what is possible. Watching a girl make her first flag pull or call her first play in the huddle, and seeing her confidence grow, is the best part of my season. I am grateful to the Argonauts for this honour, and to the coaches, referees, families and players who make our league what it is.”
Tanya “Flutie” Bezzant
Coaching beyond the league
Flutie also coaches at the provincial, university and school level. She is the U14 Girls head coach for Football Ontario‘s Junior Elite Team Ontario Flag program, the head coach of the University of Toronto’s Fall 5’s girls flag football team for the 2026-2027 season, and she also coaches the Havergal College flag football team.
The Fall 5’s season is the 5-on-5 flag format played in the autumn through the Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Football Association (OWIFA).
Why it matters for girls in flag football
Our Girls Division started in spring 2016 with 17 players. Today we reach hundreds of girls across our camps, our school programs and our league. The Argonauts have been a league partner since 2019, starting with the first Argos Cup. Coaches like Flutie help girls see where flag football can take them, from their first game to provincial and university teams.
For more on the growth of women in the game, read our 2021 feature, Women in football: An explosion of opportunity.
Thank you, Flutie
Congratulations, Flutie, and thank you for everything you do for our players, coaches and families.
Want to be part of it? Visit torontoflagfootball.com to find a program, register, or ask us about coaching and volunteering.
Photo: Don Schram.