Inaugural all-girls flag football league crowns champion after thrilling season of teamwork, skill, and fun

Story By Hunter Jones

On Thursday evening, players and coaches begin to assemble at the soccer fields. The championship game is set to take place, with the Eagles taking on the Cowgirls. The teams have played each other twice throughout the season already, with each team winning one game. Now, the tie breaking game will determine the inaugural champion for the all-girls flag football league.

The idea for the league was inspired a year ago with an all-girls co-ed flag football team, playing under Josh Day. Playing as the Dolphins, they won two games during the season. Afterwards, Day spoke to the Recreation Department about l an all-girls flag football league. Once the idea was approved and the league was established, 28 girls signed up for its inaugural season, enough for four teams of seven. The teams put out five girls per side, leaving some room for each team get a break during the game when someone gets tired.

In this league, girls ranging from ages seven or eight to 12. One aspect the coaches seem to enjoy is how little a lot of them know about football, allowing for a clean slate in terms of teaching the game.

“I think it’s been pretty good. The girls are having fun, the coaches are having a good time playing each other. We don’t really get heated or anything like that, we try to have fun with the girls,” Eagles coach Jason Shrader said.

Cowgirls coach Tanner Harbin says that the general feel of this league is different from other ones. The girls encourage one another, the referees don’t have any issues and the parents are all supportive.

“If the kids don’t care then why would we? They want to win too but at the same time, we’re here to develop these kids,” Harbin said.

Shrader and Harbin would both like to see this sport take the next step, with teams being formed in the junior high school and the high school. Harbin believes there is a lot of athletes in this age group alone, saying that if there was an option to continue playing at these next levels, seeing it as a viable option, with Shrader even saying that flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States.

Harbin even wishes an option like this league was around before, mentioning some girls who played with the boys and more than held their own.

Harbin’s daughter, Ava, competed with the boys for the past three years. While Ava enjoys being able to play with the girls, it is slightly frustrating when Ava tries to talk about scoring touchdowns and the girls just congratulate her, while with the boys, she could get under their skin a little bit. 

After a tough game, needing double overtime to determine a winner, the Cowgirls won the game 14-12. Though one team always has to lose, there were no hard feelings after the game.

“It was as good of a game as could have been played… It was a lot of fun,” Shrader said.