PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — Students from Port Washington and Grafton High Schools played their first girl's flag football game on Saturday and TMJ4 was invited along.
We learned about this story when their coach, Dale Carlson, reached out and told us about their first game on November 9th.
Some of the students are stepping out of their comfort zones and onto the football field, with little experience.
"I wanted to do this because I used to do this when I was younger," said player Brooklyn Altendorf-Schmidt.
Others were looking for a chance to start fresh with a new hobby.
" It was something to do and it seemed fun and just wanted to try something new kind of," said player Molly Biggins.
The team is the first of its kind to be made up of students from both of these schools. It was the idea of their coach, who had noticed a growing trend nationwide.
" I was seeing some of the neighboring states in the US were starting the flag football teams, specifically for girls football," said coach Dale Carlson.
According to the International Federation of American Football, flag football is expected to overtake tackle football worldwide, in terms of organized participation, in the next few years. The IFAF says 2.4 million children under the age of 17 are playing organized flag football in the United States. Millions more are playing globally.
"I thought what better way to get more girls into the game of football," said Carlson.
They're just the latest example of local high school students hopping on a trend growing in popularity that some say could be the future of the sport at both the collegiate and professional levels.
"Who knows what will happen in the future, I don't know," said Altendorf-Schmidt.
The International Olympic Committee voted in 2023 to include flag football in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
"Hopefully this is just the beginning and hopefully someday we'll see some of our kids in the Olympics," said Carlson.
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