The Chicago Bears and New York Jets celebrated International Women’s Day by launching the second annual NFL Girls Flag football league – the first all-girls Flag football competition in the United Kingdom.
On Thursday, the day before International Women’s Day, Chicago and New York sent defensive stars Tremaine Edmunds and Quincy Williams to help launch the second year of the event – which was attended by over 200 girls from 21 different schools – at AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium.
The event showcased an NFL Flag session conducted by NFL coaches, as well as a workshop, activities such as cornhole and shuffleboard, and an opportunity for the participants to receive their Nike-sponsored team jerseys. The Flag league will officially kick off on 15th April, with the number of girls involved surging from 120 in its inaugural season to 260 across multiple London boroughs.
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Last year, Great Britain Women stormed to European Championship glory, further proving how the sport continues to develop and grow outside the United States. Kellie Barrett is a trail blazer in this regard, using her own journey, experience and expertise to highlight the importance of Flag football – and how it can become a mainstay in this country’s crowded sporting landscape.
“When you think of American football, you automatically think of the NFL so the fact we have NFL teams out here, giving back to an international community and getting girls involved is massive,” Barrett exclusively told Mirror Sport. “You can’t ask for much more than that. This is so important to our sport.
“I started in primary school so this touches home a little bit for me. I didn’t have an event like this, and if I had, I would have been all over it. This is incredible.”
Barrett, who first played the sport in a P.E. lesson, did not have NFL clubs like the Jets or Bears taking the next generation of women under their wing. Instead, she joined the Coventry Jets before eventually teaming with her mum, dad and sister to set up the Coventry Cougars in 2009 – and they’ve been going strong ever since.
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Her family’s adopted slogan for the team is ‘rags to riches’, and it’s alarmingly fitting: “We started with four players, one ball, and no flags. My mum genuinely got a bunch of old tea-towels and stuck them in our shorts. That’s why we say ‘rags to riches’, because now we’re going for our 10th British championship this year, we’ve got GB players, we’re competing for the European Championship – we’re pushing every boundary that’s been before us. It’s our thing.”
She joined the national team set-up before the programme had gained official status, but Barrett is something of a national hero after becoming a European champion: “To play the game for so long, go on the international stage and come back with the gold was so emotional. It was a dream come true.”
Another figure desperate to see the Flag riches continue to come is Jets breakout star Williams. Despite jetting across the Atlantic, he displayed a beaming smile while exuding infectious energy at the event, telling Mirror Sport: “The girls are so excited. I have a younger niece and when she grows up, I want her to be able to play. When we’re at home during holiday periods, we play a family flag football game so my mum and sister plays, aunties, uncles, everyone. I want to bring awareness to Flag Football, man.
“It also helps with team building and work ethic – you’re constantly doing something. You can learn the game’s fundamentals; it’s just great to see these girls out here. I’ve seen some catch better than me!”
(Image: Getty Images)
Ultimately, Flag football is nothing to sneer at. The game is the same as full contact football – there’s just no contact. Bears linebacker Edmunds, who signed a four-year deal worth $72million (£56m) last offseason, was in attendance and pointed out the similarities between the NFL and the Flag football event in Wimbledon.
“Just like regular football, it’s competitive,” Edmunds exclusively told Mirror Sport. “These girls want to win. They’re quick, agile. I used to play Flag Football a long, long, long time ago but it’s extremely fun; you grow up playing through school and it’s extremely fun. On defense, you still have to diagnose and disrupt offensive plays. The quarterback still has to read a defense. The receiver still has to make a defender miss and get open. It’s a lot of the same tricks.”
Edmunds was happy to see the game celebrated ahead of International Women’s Day, adding: “The energy is awesome. Just seeing these young women come out here and have the opportunity to play a game they have such a passion for is cool. Celebrating that before International Women’s Day is amazing.”
This International Women’s Day, the New York Jets and the Chicago Bears announced the expansion of the Jets and Bears NFL Girls Flag league , the first UK all-girls competition of its kind. To learn more about the initiative, please visit www.chicagobears.com and https://nyjetsinuk.com/girls-flag .
This story first appeared on Radio Today