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(The Dallas Examiner) – With the growth of the Women’s Football Alliance and its fan base all around the country, women’s football is becoming more popular, especially with young girls and teenagers who wish to play the game. There are currently 59 women’s football teams – 11 in WFA Pro, 12 in Division 2 and 27 in Division 3 – including Dallas Elite Mustangs, a WFA Professional Division team.

As a result, NFL teams and other professional football teams have been working with school districts across Texas to launch girls’ varsity flag football programs. Organizations such as Nike, NFL FLAG, USA Football and the NFL Foundation have helped the NFL introduce the game to teenage girls and given them a chance to play flag football in high school and beyond.

The Dallas Cowboys, in conjunction with Nike, hosted its fourth annual Girls’ Flag Football Jamboree at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco on Jan. 18. Danny McCray, Dallas Cowboys Alumni and Youth Football Development Manager helped produce the event. It featured high school female athletes from Dallas ISD, DeSoto ISD, Cedar Hill ISD, Crowley ISD, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Uplift Education and El Paso ISD.

Speakers included former Dallas Cowboys player and Super XXX MVP Larry Brown, Dallas Cowboys radio Sideline Reporter Kristi Scales, Dallas Trinity FC Defender Maja Henriksson, and Dr. Andy Cheshire, a nutritionist from Dairy MAX.

“What’s really exciting is that we’re continuing to grow this sport. And the goal is to eventually have this throughout the state. There are many scholarship opportunities that are available now and will continue to develop over the years because schools, universities and colleges have found that girls flag football is a way for them to come into Title IX compliance,” Scales said. “That means that scholarships are available, and we’ve had several young women from the Fort Worth ISD through our first three years receive scholarship offers to play girls flag football in college.”

Scales, who served as a moderator for the jamboree, explained that parents should consider allowing their daughters to participate.

“Female flag football is growing but it’s mainly in the Midwest, but it’s growing throughout the United States,” she noted. “Women’s flag football will be in the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, there’s a women’s national team for the United States. The Mexican women’s national team is the defending world champion. It’s growing, and what we’re trying to do is make this sport available in high schools throughout the state of Texas and the Houston Texans have joined with the Houston Independent School District to make this available in that part of the state.

“The opportunities are out there, and now we need to make sure as many young female athletes as possible have the opportunity to benefit, not only from a team sport and learning things about confidence and teamwork, but also even have the opportunity to take it beyond high school and play at the college level.”

As the school buses with young female athletes arrived at the Star in Frisco, coaches from various colleges and former football players sent the students directly the field to warm up, stretch, run and perform practice drills. The young athletes learned certain plays and then practiced throwing and catching to one another, as well as participated in scrimmages.

“They taught us that, yes, you can be the fastest and strongest or the smartest but if you are not coachable, then you won’t get far enough. You have to be coachable,” said Raven Gardner, a senior at Roosevelt High School. “Also, it’s a new sport and so it needs representation.”

Campbell said she wants to get involved and develop her skills so she can play at the next level.

“I feel like if I go to college and actually try to play this game, that I would be really good,” she said.

Cerrianna Etchison, a junior at Roosevelt, was happy that opportunities like flag football were available.

“It seemed really interesting. I wanted to play some type of sport, and I wanted to see if I could be able to do it and play and I ended up really liking it,” Etchison stated.

The Roosevelt varsity girls flag football team is one Dallas ISD’s first female flag football programs to launch.

Lady Mustangs coach Elizabeth Pearson, who also is the Special Education ADL teacher, explained how it was important for her students to participate in this sport.

“First of all, it builds confidence, and I have some shy girls and just to get them to want to participate and give them empowerment is important,” Pearson said. “We also want to get them exposure. We want to give them an opportunity to get scholarships because female flag football is moving into college and the Olympics and so hopefully we will have girls going to college and represent us in the Olympics one day.”

During Spring, schools from the various districts will join Fort Worth ISD in playing competitive varsity level girls flag football. Regional leagues will also play throughout the months of March and April at the Star in Frisco and on school campus. The season will end with a championship tournament at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in May.

“What is really awesome about today is these young athletes are inside the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, and they are going through the same football drills that the Dallas Cowboys players go through each day,” Scales said. “They are doing their work on the Cowboys practice fields. They are in the same place where CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and Trayvon Diggs play their trade, and literally in the same spots on the field doing the same drills these coaches teach them.”

McCray, who used to play safety for the Cowboys, discussed the benefits of the sport.

“Football is the ultimate team game, and it’s learning about teamwork,” he said. “It’s learning about leadership and building character. It’s also great for physical fitness and a great way to stay in shape. Also as part of today’s camp, we have a session on sports nutrition. So it’s about a healthy mind and body as well as physical fitness.”

He credited Dallas Cowboys Chief Brand Officer and Co-Owner Charlotte Jones for creating the opportunity for girls.

“It’s an NFL initiative, but I think it is a Dallas Cowboys initiative, because Cowboys Charlotte Jones is huge into making sure that all women and females have the same opportunities that the boys have,” McCray said. “I think it’s a women empowerment movement, and I think that the opportunity that the girls get to go to college, opportunities they get to play on national teams, opportunities they get to be a part of what all the boys have been experiencing in the growth of football and how it can help you in school, help you at home, create better discipline and goals. I think that is something that everybody wants these young ladies to experience.”

He explained the similarities and differences between flag football and tackle football.

“They’re going through all their drills, their quarterback drills, their receiver drills, defensive back drills, in preparation for their upcoming season,” McCray said. “They don’t hit each other. They have those flags around their waist. So you have to grab one of the flags for the play to be over. It’s football, but it’s not as similar to tackle as some people will think. The plays and the concepts are different, because the center can go out for a pass in flag football but in an NFL football game and boys tackle football, the center can’t go out for a pass. So you have some different schemes, some little, small details that are different in the game of flag football.”

Former Baylor Bear and Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Nakia Codie was one of the coaches who taught the young ladies football drills. Codie is currently the field manager for Carrollton-Farmers Branch.

“What I’m working on is them having leverage. And when they come in to pull the flag, they need to make sure that they’re making the runner go towards whoever their help side is,” Codie said. “So that’s what’s important when you’re playing football, knowing where your help is. … One thing I like is I have a passion for football. I’ve done it my whole life. Unfortunately, my son didn’t play football, so I had to give my efforts to everybody else out here, as far as the ladies. But I mean, they’re excited. They love it. They cheer for each other. … I like to come in on the ground floor, because I want to teach them the fundamentals before they get out there and get hurt or something like that.”

The event culminated with inspirational talks from Brown, Henriksson and Chesire during lunch.

Henriksson advised the ladies of the importance of practice and how to overcome pressure with daily performance.

“Even if you make a mistake, try again because that is how you grow and get better,” she said.

Cheshire stressed the importance of fueling one’s body properly through hydration and nutrition and stated that without breakfast the body can become stressed.

“You have to hydrate your body and eat right because your nutrition determines everything and sets the tone for your day and your life and future,” he summarized.

Brown, who helped secure the Cowboys third Super Bowl title in the 1990’s with his key interception late in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Neil O’ Donnell during Super Bowl XXX in 1996, emphasized the importance of taking advantage of opportunities like the Jamboree.

“What you have here at Ford Field is special and I’m jealous because I didn’t have this growing up in the inner city of South Central Los Angeles playing football,” Brown noted. “We played football in the streets. Every time you get to be on the field and touch the field and play, you get a chance to be better. Continue to work hard and you will get better. Believe in yourself and stay focused.

“When I played at TCU, you had to prepare yourself physically, academically, socially, mentally and stay out of trouble. I remember when the WNBA started and to see where the sport has gone today for the women, I mean, I’m a huge fan because I am like damn these ladies can play and guys are excited to see it too. So I know the same thing will happen with women’s flag football.”

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