Although most sports at Green Level have options for both boys and girls to participate, football has been long viewed as a male-only sport. In Green Level’s four season football history, a girl had never participated until freshman Moa Pederson made the junior varsity team this year. While the stigma that football can only be played by boys is still very present, maybe Moa being on the team will encourage more girls who are interested to try out. But now, the creation of a girl’s flag football team may spark even more interest.
On Monday Oct. 16th, our Athletic Director, Mr. Fegeley, sent out an email to survey which girls would be interested in trying out for a girl’s flag football team. The email emphasized that it will only be a pilot season lasting from 3-4 weeks, and will run from the middle of January to February in order to not overlap with spring sports. The team will consist of 14-30 players, and games will likely take place on Saturdays. And all of this is thanks to the Carolina Panthers. Last year, they fully sponsored the launch of a girl’s flag football program (flags, balls, refs, coaches, field time, etc.) in Charlotte, and its success led to the expansion to Wake County this year. Approximately 18 teams in the county took the Panthers up on their offer, and due to the predicted success of the pilot season, they have generously offered to host a season finale championship in the Bank of America Stadium starting next year. After the first year, the season will also expand, likely starting with the rest of the winter sports, running through the holidays. According to Fegeley, the responses to the email display a high level of interest and tryouts are expected to have a high turnout. Although this is just the beginning, this opportunity is a great way for more girls who aren’t interested in traditional women’s sports to become involved, or female athletes who want to expand. Additionally, it’s an excellent way for girls who have a love for football but do not want to play on a team with boys to have the chance to get on the field.
