As part of ‘huge movement,’ including Olympics, girls flag football debuts in Boise

Women’s flag football soon will be an Olympic sport, making its debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

There will be plenty of young girls watching in the Treasure Valley, where the sport is already gaining a foothold.

Optimist Youth Football and the Treasure Valley Women’s Flag Football League joined forces this spring to bring a noncontact flag football league to the Boise area.

Practices began in mid-April, and games will be played throughout the month of May. Nearly 70 girls have signed up to play, forming eight teams separated into ages 8 to 10 and 11 to 13.

The Idaho Statesman tagged along with one of the teams to check out preparation for the inaugural season.

“There are a lot of little girls sports, and it usually aims toward soccer or volleyball, but some of these girls, they want to get down and dirty and play some football,” said Loren Wilson, commissioner for the Treasure Valley Women’s Flag Football League.

“I feel like this opens up a new opportunity for those little girls who want to try something different, explore something different and know that there’s a place in football for them.”

Meet Team Scheels

Sam Hayes is a tight end for the Boise Black Widows, the reigning champion in the Treasure Valley Women’s Flag Football League.

Her husband, Chuck Hayes, a former Boise State offensive lineman, is their coach.

But Chuck is taking a backseat to his wife in the coaching department these days.

Sam is helping nine girls ages 11 to 13 learn the ropes of Girls Flag 5s on Team Scheels. The group had its first practice on April 15 at Settlers Park in Meridian, just days before an exhibition appearance during halftime of Boise State’s spring football game last Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.

“It’s a span of all different types of skill sets,” Sam Hayes said. “There are actually three players on the team who have played flag football in some sort of program before who have a little bit more expertise. Of course, they were playing in co-ed programs, so some of them weren’t able to be utilized to their full potential in certain positions, but that’s OK.

“They understand a lot of the fundamentals, and there are some girls who’ve only played basketball, soccer, softball. There’s also one or two who have never played a sport before, and this is their first go at it. So it’s kind of a blend.”

By their second practice, which came on April 17, Sam was getting a feel for where each girl might thrive. Neasjah Ellis, 12, and Ellie Hough, 13, took turns switching between center and quarterback as two of the tallest players on the team. Makenzie Verdu, 12, was showing off her speed at running back.

“At our school, we played flag football (at recess), and it was kind of unfair because the boys would never pass to the girls. They didn’t trust us,” Makenzie said. “(Teammate) Makena Hendrick’s mom actually told us about the new girls league. We’ve been talking about it for a while, and we just enjoy football. We don’t want to have to play with boys who aren’t gonna pass to us.”

The basics of flag

Flag football is more about finesse and speed than brawn.

The game is played on a field that measures 60 yards long by 37 yards wide, including two 10-yard end zones. Five offensive players go against five defensive players, with the offense getting four downs to get to midfield (20 yards) for a first down and four downs from midfield to score.

No-run zones are located 5 yards from the front of each end zone. All offensive players are eligible receivers. There are a pair of 18-minute halves, and the clock stops only for timeouts, injury or at the request of a referee.

A play is dead when the ball carrier’s flag is pulled or falls off, the ball carrier steps out of bounds, a touchdown or safety is scored, the ball hits the ground, the QB receives the snap and then drops the ball, or if any of the ball-carrier’s body other than the feet or hands touches the ground.

While Team Scheels has gotten a rundown of the fundamentals, Sam said she is equally focused on making sure her girls develop a love for the game.

“I’ve just been communicating to the girls that they’re a part of a huge movement here in Idaho, in the country and all over the world,” Sam said. “That’s something that they’re contributing to, so it’s OK to make mistakes. That’s how we learn.”

Added Makena Hendrick, “I really like that the coaches are nice, but they’re also pushing us and teaching us new skills.”

Learning the ropes

During a break from an intrasquad scrimmage last week at Settlers Park, Team Scheels formed a circle along with their coaches and played Hot Potato with a football for a few minutes.

Then it was back to business.

Each girl wears a wristband with the team’s plays on it for reference. Their plays are named after Disney characters, such as Ariel or Wonder Woman, and they had even added a deceptive reverse play by the end of their second practice.

“Girl power!” shouted 11-year-old Kennedy Glenn after seeing the new play in action.

Even with so much new information coming in, the girls were visibly excited about having their own football team. The hour-and-a-half practice went by in a flash, with many of them eager to stay to learn more.

“It just shows that girls can do what the guys can as well, and ... they’re not lesser than them,” Ellie said. “They can do more or the same amount that guys can.”

A ‘Blue’ debut

Several of the new girls flag football teams, along with two of Optimist Youth Football’s boys Flex Flag teams, got a chance to play on Boise State’s blue turf last weekend during halftime of the Broncos’ spring game.

The teams had a walk-through inside the Caven-Williams Sports Complex before taking the field in front of 7,137 fans.

“I was pretty scared,” Makenzie said. “But I think we all tried our best, and I think we did great.”

Team Scheels started the exhibition on defense, and Makena made the first big play, coming up with an interception. Makenzie later broke off a big run, coming just short of the end zone. Neasjah took the snaps at quarterback, breaking each huddle with a synchronized clap from her teammates.

“I think they did incredible,” Sam Hayes said. “I think that with just two practices, we were able to get out there and put them in different positions. We subbed in a lot of girls at different times that we didn’t actually prepare for, but they listened really intently and they were really excited.

“They didn’t let all the noise and the distractions get to them. We succeeded.”

The girls flag football league has its first games of the season on Monday. Action will start at 6 p.m. at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex in Boise.

“Girls flag football is here to stay, and we’re just getting started,” Sam said. “We’re getting the grass roots going, and it’s going to grow tenfold. We have our fall season registrations already open, and we’re hoping to double our numbers so that we can break out into different age groups and get as many teams out there as humanly possible.”