Vince James, who has helped lead youth flag football for about eight years, is bringing a girls league to Columbus.
Although the youth flag football league is coed, and there have been a few girls who’ve participated in the past, the league is predominately boys.
The girls season is expected to start near the end of August and last until the end of October for Grades 3 to 12, and James is looking to have as many female participants involved as possible.
“I want it to be an all-girls program, all girls officials and would like to have all female coaches,” James said. “Obviously, you have to do what you have to do to make the program work, but that’s my goal. I want girls to experience what it’s like to play football without having the contact.”
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Games will be played on Sunday afternoons at Central Middle School. James is expecting anywhere from 50 to 100 girls to register and is hosting an introductory meeting sometime in July. The actual date has yet to be decided.
Annaleigh Matzar, who will be a sophomore at Columbus North, and Haili Smith, who will be a sophomore at Columbus East, are excited to get the league started. Matzar heard about the league from Smith. Smith heard about it after James told her mother, Jessica Grissom, about the league.
“I’ve never been on a football team, period, so I’m excited,” Smith said. “My mom wants me to play quarterback because of my arm.”
James got word that a high number of girls in Florida play flag football, and he said it is actually a high school sport in Florida. He was also told that many of the girls who play flag football are softball players.
James is a big advocate for flag football being a major tool for skill development that can transfer to any other sport. He believes that flag football helps with not only speed, but the athletes’ overall athleticism.
“There is absolutely no other youth sport that can help develop players the way they need to be developed than flag football,” James said. “I want it to be fun because that’s the key part, but it’s also an opportunity to do something a girl has not grown up with — and learn to do and them be able to benefit from it skill wise.”
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What: Girls Flag Football League
Ages: Grades 3 through 12
Expected season dates: Sunday afternoons from late August through late October
Where: Central Middle School
Information: League director Vince James, 812-927-0495 or [email protected]
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