Girls flag football athletes plan to start a club for the sport that will begin playing this spring. The tryouts will take place in March.
“I feel like I always have to explain to people what it is, and it’s so difficult to get people to understand what it is,” freshman Sophia Ochoa said. “I want to represent my school and have the opportunity to play a sport like that. Now that we’re starting this team, I’m so excited because I feel like I finally get the opportunity to show my friends what it’s actually like.”
Ochoa plays for Texas Fury, an NFL Flag-sanctioned all-girls select league. A group of girls from Texas Fury decided to create a team to represent the school, sponsored by coach Paul Pehrson, who also coaches volleyball.
“I think flag is really fun, but it’s not as much of an option for girls,” freshman Leighton Desimone said. “It just makes it even better to be part of something that not’s big yet. It’s cool to get bigger and bigger as the years go on.”
With the help of the Houston Texas Girls Flag Program, other high schools like Rouse and Georgetown started up their own programs. The Houston Texans league began in Houston ISD, expanding to other Houston-area schools and eventually spreading to Austin and El Paso. Last year, the program helped fund nine school teams in Austin.
“It’s really cool that they’re helping support these starting teams,” freshman Ryan Chilton said. “It should 100% be an official UIL sport because there’s so many girls who I feel would love the sport but just don’t get the chance to play. Being a UIL sport would definitely help make it more popular.”
The Houston Texans have donated over $1.4 million to help kickstart teams, and according to Ochoa, their money helped fund uniforms for the budding school team.
“I feel like it’s valuable to give people an outlet to play a sport you love without risking serious injuries, not to say I haven’t broken multiple fingers in this game,” Ochoa said. “Having something big like this, especially at school, that you can try out for and see if you like it is really important because for me, I fell in love with it and I’ve never looked back.”
The school team will play against other teams in the Texans’ program. The games will be seven-on-seven with a 40-minute gametime.
“I think it’s so valuable to give people an outlet to play a sport you love without risking serious injuries, not to say I haven’t broken multiple fingers in this game,” Ochoa said. “I started as a dancer who was scared of the ball, and now I fell in love with it and I’ve never looked back. That could be anyone. I’m so excited about the opportunity creating this team brings to girls at Vandegrift.”
