Flag Football Flourishing: What Does This Mean For The Spring Sports Scene?

Monday March 17th, marked the first day of tryouts for Washingtonville’s girls Flag Football team. Tryouts ended on March 21st and 20 out of 64 girls who tried out got a spot on the team. But what happened to those 44 other athletes? The growth of Flag Football has definitely not been subtle in the last few years. In an article discussing Flag Football’s national expansion, it states that:

“In 2023, about 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football – a 63 percent increase since 2019” (NFHS).

This rise of interest in Flag Football can be mainly attributed to an increase in support from large organizations:

“...the NFL and IFAF launched the Global Flag Football Ambassadors program in 2022.”

This program helps promote participation, and provide resources for Flag Football programs worldwide.

But when specifically looking at Washingtonville’s Flag Football Program the amount of growth this fairly new program has had is somewhat crazy. This growth can possibly be credited to this year's new head coach, Daniel Malvey. Who led our Varsity Boys Basketball team all the way to the section 9 championship this past season. When interviewing coach Malvey on the growth of flag football and the effects of it, this is what he had to say:

Q: Did the amount of girls trying out for your team come as a shock to you?

A: Yes, 64 girls signed up, which is the most I have had for any team I have coached here at Washingtonville.

Q: Did you notice if a lot of girls trying out for flag football this year were coming from other spring sports that they have previously played in past seasons?

A: No not too many but there were a couple students for sure.

Q: Have you heard from any of your fellow colleagues/coaches of girls spring sports (Softball/Lacrosse) any effects that Flag Football has had on their teams? What are your personal opinions on the effects Flag Football has had on other girls' spring sports.

A: Other coaches don't love it because "it takes the talent" away from other spring sports. I personally think it's a great option for female students who would like to try football but don't want to play tackle football.

After interviewing coach Malvey and getting reassurance that some coaches see flag football's growth as “taking away” from other Spring Sports. The next interviews are from Washingtonville’s Varsity Lacrosse and Softball teams Head coaches, Kayla Pucci and Ciarra Digulio.

Q: Have you noticed any negative effects for your team, with the growth of flag football?

A: With the growth of flag football in regards to Girls Lacrosse, we have not noticed any major effects that it brings to our program at this time. I believe with or without flag football we still have very small numbers.

A: When I first started coaching softball for Washingtonville two years ago, flag football emerged the same year. I noticed that since flag football was a new sport to students, a lot of the softball girls were expressing interest. As a coach, I was first concerned on how many girls would leave the sport of softball for flag football. Another concern of mine was how the student athletes would be able to make both work since they had the option that year.

Q: What are your personal thoughts about the growth of flag football and what that growth is doing to your team and athlete’s futures? And is this a new issue or has it just been an issue since flag football started?

A: I think the growth of flag football is good, but it does raise concerns for other spring sports. On a positive note, It opens a new option for female athletes to get involved in sports especially if they have never been a part of a team. However, I know other sports teams are being affected by the number of girls that want to play. I think it comes down to the athlete themselves and what they want for themselves for the future. I think this issue has been growing over the years. I believe that as more people learn about the game, it will continue to be an issue for some female sports that are offered in the spring.

A: I personally think flag football is a great addition to the sports here in Washingtonville. I am happy to see the growth of the program and how many girls try out each year. It looks like a lot of fun. Flag football has not negatively affected softball as we have the same girls try out consistently each year. I do think we would have a lot more girls try out if flag football was not an option but nothing to be concerned about.

Q: Is there anything that you think could happen that could prevent this issue of other spring sports losing girls because of flag football, while also allowing flag football to continue to grow?

A: Since flag football is a Girls Varsity sport, I don't think there is anything that could prevent this from happening. I know last year some girls wanted to do two sports, however, if you allow girls to play two Varsity sports at the same time, girls will have to miss practices or games for the other sport. This creates issues with games, practices and potential injuries or burn outs from the athletes. I do not think there is a way to prevent this issue, while allowing flag football to grow.

A: I think having flag football in the spring is tough as I just mentioned that we would maybe have more girls try out for softball. The only thing I can think of is having a fall flag football season as well. This may benefit some girls if they do not play a sport in the fall then they can do that while being able to play softball or lacrosse in the spring etc...

Coach Pucci and coach Digulio were both very informative on the growth of flag football, and how they both think and hope the sport continues to grow because of the added benefits of having another sport for girls here at Washingtonville to play. While also at the same time agreeing that numbers for both teams have been down (Not directly linked to flag football) and that numbers may continue to decrease because of growing interest in flag football.

What initially caused me to write this blog was hearing from female athletes who play spring sports in Washingtonville talk about this issue. The next two interviews are with student athletes from the lacrosse and softball teams; Julia Seewald and Madelyn Morgan, asking them their opinions on this topic:

Q: What are your personal feelings on the growth of flag football and what that means for your sport and athletic career?

A: As a sport I respect flag football and the growth it has had. But its impact on college sports is a little ridiculous. As a high school sport it's great for girls to get involved in this kind of sport, but it hasn't had the same impact in college. An example of this is Montclair State University in Jersey. MC has recently removed mens and womens lacrosse in place of flag football. Of course the flag is not taking away teams everywhere, but MC’s womens and mens teams are successful and do well in conference play. There is no reason to take away a sport to add one, especially one so successful.

A: I love to see the growth of flag football as a sport in general because it's a sport that I feel women are sacred to do because guys don’t agree with girls playing football. But at the same time it affects my sports career because the performance in softball right now is very low because the sport is open to newly taught players.

Q: Have you noticed a big change/decrease in your team size since flag football started 2 years ago? Or has this been more of a current change?

A: 100%, girls lacrosse really took a big hit 2 years ago. We definitely lost a lot of girls, we have always been able to field a JV team, this year there is only varsity.

A: I have noticed a decrease because of flag football. Flag football is easier to understand than softball and sometimes even safer in a way.

Q: What are your major concerns for you and your sport in the coming years if flag football continues to grow?

A: As a person who played flag football growing up and now plays a different sport, I'm not too worried as sports similar to flag tend to fizzle out after the interest goes away, and there are not as many college opportunities to flag. But overall I am neutral on the pros and cons of flag football. I think the way schools are going about it is the issue.

A: If flag football continues to grow, not many people are going to want to play the spring sports offered such as girls lacrosse and softball. Softball also would probably get less funds than flag football as well. Even in present day softball is fighting for team helmets and other equipment that other school districts have that we can’t because a lot of our funds go to the running of flag football and the sponsorship from the NY jets.

In conclusion, after talking to the coaches and athletes here in Washingtonville who are first handedly experiencing these effects of flag football, my thought is that flag football should no doubt be allowed to grow because it is another great option to get girls involved in sports. but at the same time other sports shouldn’t suffer or have to worry about their programs because of this growth. My initial thought was similar to coach Digulio who said:

“The only thing I can think of is having a fall flag football season as well.”

The problem with this is the exact same problem current spring sports are facing. What would happen to the number of girls trying out for volleyball, tennis, soccer, track, swimming/dive, and cheer. After thinking about this the only other solution would be changing the tryout process. I think the best option to help numbers for every sport would be to allow athletes to try out for multiple sports in the same season. That way athletes can still play a sport if they get cut from one, like the 44 girls who didn’t make the flag football team.