Story by: William Horne

The sport of flag football is not new by any means. However, the impact it is making on high school sports surely is. Flag football is one of the newer FHSAA sanctioned sports and the best part of all, it is strictly for the girls. No longer is football a male dominated sport, these female athletes have made an impact and the change is evident.  

Flag football has not only made its way through high school sports, but more and more colleges have also added it as a scholarship sport. Meaning these ladies can now play for more than just their high school, but play for an opportunity to have their school paid for. “Colleges are now offering scholarships to play flag football, which is really great to hear because it was not that big of a sport back then,” said local flag football athlete Celeste Ware. 

The biggest supporter in the growth of flag football, has by far been the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags have held college showcase camps allowing college coaches to come and see athletes perform and compete, they have also held other camps and preseason games for teams all over Florida, but even more importantly the Jaguars are now offering scholarships as well to help out these young female athletes not have to worry about the burden of student loans. “60 percent of NFL fans are females now,” said Oakleaf Flag football coach, Steve Joyner. The Jags have provided teams all over the area with equipment and the opportunity to help this sport thrive and reach its full potential.  

Picture provided by Oakleaf Athletics