The Women's Gridiron Foundation offers mentorship and multi-level support to both existing and start-up girls football organizations.
We run football skills clinics, provide a multitude of resources, offer speaking engagements, and connect people who aim to both increase the opportunities for girls and women to learn and play football as well as close the gender gap in the sport.
We educate and empower young women around the world to a place of greater self-worth and confidence while simultaneously increasing awareness of, and participation in, the women's game on a global scale.
We believe that sport - specifically football - is an ideal vehicle through which essential, meaningful life skills can be learned.
When a safe, supportive space is created in which females of all ages can learn this incredible game, they will not only show up, but be empowHERed for having done so!!
March, 2024
Women's HERstory Month Feature Story:
THE Trailblazers: The First U.S. Women’s National Flag Team
As Women’s HERstory month comes to a close, it’s time we share the story of the females in flag football “O.G.’s” here in the United States: The 2008 Women’s National Team. We begin with a brief history of IFAF (International Federation of American Football) which was founded in 1998 and is considered the global governing body of flag and tackle football.
The IFAF Flag Football World Championship has been held in various locations around the world since 2002 where it was hosted by Austria that first year. Israel hosted the most recent event in 2021. The biannual competition has been held on various continents including France, Sweden and Italy (Europe), South Korea (Asia) and Panama (Central America).
Sometime in the Spring of 2008 – to our understanding - IFAF asked USA Football to enter a women’s (and men’s) team in the IFAF Flag Football World Championship to be hosted by Canada in St.-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec from July 25-27, 2008. USA Football leadership agreed that it was time to join their neighbors to the north and set foot in this internationally emerging sport and in what better way than on a global stage.
The reality of this incredible opportunity was that USA Football had a short window of time to pull the teams together. It wasn’t realistic to plan and coordinate a nationwide tryout. Weighing in various factors, including proximity, flag football playing experience, and a reputation for professionalism both on and off the field, USA Football reached out to Andra Douglas, longtime flag player and owner of the New York Sharks Women’s Tackle Football Team. They asked her to serve as the women’s national Team Manager and assemble a team. The honor of this request was beyond humbling. She accepted and appointed two coaches who held tryouts within the Sharks organization and ultimately selected the 12-player roster that became the VERY FIRST women’s flag team to represent the United States.
The O.G.’s of the 2008 U.S. Women’s National team!!
USA Football Liaison: Jack Reed
Team Manager: Andra Douglas
Coaches: Richie Scarpa and Lynn Lewis
NFL Representative: Samantha Rapoport
Jennifer Blum
Fatima Carvey
Jay “J.D.” Dantzler
Leslie Dock
Lisa Doran
Yvonne Harrison
Brooke McKinney
Karen Mulligan
Lauren Pringle
Adrienne Smith
Dana Sparling
Donna Spilotras
With plenty of practices under their "flag belts” and ready to take on the world, the team loaded into two vans and made the 7 hour drive north a couple of days before the Opening Ceremony was set to kick off for the ONLY international tournament of its kind in the world. The other countries represented that year in the women’s division were: Canada, Mexico, Austria, Japan and defending champions, France.
In the end, the trailblazing women of that first ever U.S. National Team came away with a 4th place finish after losing (19-13) to reigning champions, France, in the bronze medal game.
The U.S. Women’s team has won either gold or silver in 5 of the 6 events that have taken place since 2008. The next IFAF World Flag Championships will be held this summer, August 22-30, 2024 in Lahti, Finland at the Pajulahti Olympic Training Center. Heading into this year’s event, Mexico holds the #1 spot for the most gold medals overall with three. The U.S. is tied with Canada for 2nd place with two golds. Sweden, France and Panama are all tied with 1 gold medal.
Flag football has become one of, if not THE fastest growing sport in the world. History was made in the Fall of 2023 when the IOC (Int’l Olympic Committee) unanimously voted to make flag football an Olympic sport beginning. Its debut will take place at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Of meaningful significance to so many of us from previous generations of female flag players is that 2028 will mark exactly 20 years since the inaugural women’s flag team represented the U.S. in 2008. The torch has been passed to an incredibly talented pool of female flag athletes playing the game today. We know you’ll make those of us who came before you – and your country – very proud.
Good luck to the USA Football National Team and all of the teams from around the world who will be participating this August in Finland!!
Special thanks to Jack Reed, Andra Douglas and Karen Mulligan for their contributions to this story.
- D. Sparling, Executive Director, WGF
Sources
WGF's 1st Clinic of 2024 with the Mighty Girls of SYSO!!!
Sunday, March 24, 2024
We had an incredible experience teaching football to the fierce girls of the Somers, NY area!!
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We remain grateful for our continued collaboration with SYSO and look forward to our next opportunity to coach-up these most Mighty Football-Loving Girls!!
Hard Work - It's Worth it! PSA
TAASA - Break The Box
Diversity is Our Strength PSA
H.K. Poet - Let Her Play PSA
It's More Than a Game
"TACKLE THE WORLD - Tough Game, Tougher Women" is a documentary look at the second-ever Women's tackle football World Championships held in Vantaa, Finland in 2013.
Women from six countries competed in a world tournament that crowned a record-setting champion. It also marked another shift in the evolution of female team sports. The challenges and barriers these women have had to overcome to participate at the highest level of their sport will inspire and move you to action.
Rent or Buy on VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/tackletheworld
Tackle the World TRAILER
