ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ

For Julia Cameron, a third generation ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ Allison student, football has never been just a sport. It has been part of her family culture since well before she was born — and before she could even talk, she was watching games with her dad, ÂÜÀòÊÓƵies Football alumnus Scott Cameron (’88). This tradition has become one of the most lasting parts of their father-daughter bond. 

All these years later, that same love of the game has led her to an exciting new opportunity: a Women in Football internship with the Saskatchewan Roughriders this spring. Cameron will spend time this summer working with the CFL team in a marketing role tied to operations and analytics, gaining hands-on experience in professional football with a team she has admired for years.

Her path to this moment has been shaped by determination, family, and a fierce drive for equity and inclusion. Growing up in Truro, NS, Cameron played three years of minor football as the only girl on her team, where she says she felt fully part of the group. While she later moved into other sports during middle and high school, football remained close to her heart — not only as a fan, but as someone who loved to study and analyze the game. 

As a child, she wrote numerous letters to NFL commissioners arguing that girls should be allowed to play in the league  â€” they never wrote her back, and still to this day there are no women playing in either the NFL or the CFL. However, this hasn’t swayed her. She has continued to pave her own path. In Grade 12, she returned to the field one more time as a receiver at Cobequid Educational Centre in Truro, NS, where her father also coached for 30 years.

ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ Allison has long been part of Cameron’s family story, too. Her dad played for the ÂÜÀòÊÓƵies in a particularly exciting time in the history of football at MtA. He often shared stories from his time on the team from the 1980s. The determination has come to Cameron honestly — her dad began his first season not even dressing for games or in the team photo and finished that same year as defensive player of the year. Cameron’s grandmother, Dorothy Cameron (’56), is also a ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ Allison alumna and was a basketball player here.

Now, Cameron is building her own football story at ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ Allison.

Last year, she began doing film work for the ÂÜÀòÊÓƵies Football team and supporting social media in the off-season. She returned to the film role again this year, deepening her understanding of the game from a different angle and strengthening her interest in football beyond the field itself.

The internship opportunity came through a competitive application process, with support from a handful of ÂÜÀòÊÓƵies alumni. Cameron was contacted by both Saskatchewan and Hamilton about opportunities in marketing and coaching, but the chance to join the Roughriders felt especially meaningful.

Saskatchewan is her favourite CFL team and she is particularly excited to learn from women already established in leadership with the Roughriders. Notably, the Roughriders senior staff consists of more than 50% women — something that is still rare in professional football. 

As she prepares to step into a space where more women are building careers and leadership paths, she hopes her own journey can help encourage girls who love sports — especially those entering traditionally male-dominated spaces — to see that there is room for them, too.

Cameron’s internship marks the next chapter in a football story that began with family, developed right here at ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ Allison, and will only grow from here. The sky is the limit for women in sports leadership and Cameron is showing the world just how it’s done.