2026 Kelly McGillis Classic Key West Women’s Flag Football International Showcase
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Add a simple jet-sweep motion—have a receiver sprint behind the QB before the snap, then fake the handoff and hit the opposite side; defenders will be tripping over each other like they’re late for school while your kid streaks into the end zone with a grin.
Postgame Parents: I know snack duty feels endless, so next time you hand them grapes, have your kiddo catch each one with chopsticks—this fun hand–eye blast sharpens reflexes for any sport and turns your kitchen into a mini training lab (bonus: fewer grapes on the floor!).
Players Snap: While your coffee’s brewing, slam out 20 bodyweight squats—turn wasted minutes into quad-burning gold so you’re popping off the line without extra gym time.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 Women’s flag football returns to Key West
The Kelly McGillis Classic returns to Key West Jan. 20–26 at the Wickers Sports Complex, uniting girls and women flag football teams in an international showcase that includes tournaments, clinics and a conference on the sport’s future. With 8-on-8 semi-contact play, officiating certification and community events like parades and workshops, the weeklong celebration strengthens global participation and promotes growth in women’s flag football.
🌍 Regional Roundup
Everett, Washington: Four girls flag football teams from Squalicum, Ferndale, Monroe and Jackson competed at the Seattle Seahawks Girls Flag Takeover event, with each winning team receiving a Coach of the Game award and a $1,000 program donation. The Seahawks also provided uniforms, T-shirts, coaching support and community engagement to bolster local school programs.
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Washington, D.C.: The Commanders’ Youth Football initiatives in 2025 included learn-to-play and coaching clinics, school uniform giveaways, coach-of-the-week grants, and the first college showcase to enhance access and resources for girls’ flag football across the region. The Washington Commanders’ Foundation and the NFL Foundation also awarded $650,000 to support new synthetic playing surfaces at three area high schools.
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Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin-Parkside will become the first Division II program in the state to offer women’s flag football scholarships beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, aligning with the NCAA’s emerging sport status and upcoming Olympic inclusion. The initiative follows early varsity sponsorships in several Atlantic East Conference schools and aims to boost student opportunities and community engagement.
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Georgia: NFL FLAG has opened registration for its Spring 2026 season across metro Atlanta and surrounding communities, offering non-contact flag football leagues for boys and girls ages 4–14 along with financial aid options. The program’s expansion into areas such as Snellville, Sugar Hill and Richmond Hill underscores continued grassroots league development in the state.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Chloe Moyes – Junior Defensive Back for Monroe Girls Flag Football. She snagged a critical interception and sprinted it back for a pick-six to ice the game and help her team secure a $1,000 donation during the Seahawks flag football takeover.
“Just being able to read the (Squalicum offense) from the end, and knowing where they’re going to go next really helped me through it,” Moyes said. “And knowing that I have people behind me, knowing that they have my back. … It was just excitement. I was so hyped.”
📈 Flag Growth Focus
🔥 National Combine Expansion
Signing Day Sports wrapped its 2025 Military Appreciation Bowl National Combine in Frisco, Texas, drawing nearly 1,000 middle- and high-school athletes from seven countries and showcasing a Women’s Flag Football All-American Combine. The success is fueling a new twelve-state Regional Combine Series launching February 2026, with stops in California, Texas, Florida and New Jersey to strengthen talent pipelines in key football markets.
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🏈 College Flag Football Breakthrough
Schreiner University’s women’s flag football program has rapidly grown under coach Colby McCoy, capitalizing on new turf facilities and proactive recruiting after last season’s championship run. The Mountaineers will debut a varsity schedule in Spring 2026, marking a significant step in college flag football infrastructure and competitive growth.
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🌱 Youth Flag Football Growth
Georgia NFL FLAG opened Spring 2026 registration for boys and girls ages 4–14 across metro Atlanta, expanding into Snellville, Powder Springs, Sugar Hill, Dallas and Richmond Hill. As the nation’s largest inclusive youth flag program, its partnership with the NFL and local communities aims to broaden access, develop skills and drive grassroots growth.
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⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
Danny Solomon, director of the Garden Valley Falcons youth football program, received two tickets to Super Bowl LX from the Cleveland Browns in recognition of his 32 years mentoring local athletes.
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Paid attendance at Georgia’s 2025 high school football and flag football state championships dropped 10.6% to 46,132 over three days, with flag finals making up roughly 6% of total tickets sold.
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Everett Public Schools has elevated girls’ flag football to varsity status this season, fielding eight teams across Jackson, Everett and Cascade high schools after turnout exceeded expectations.
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In his first season leading Castaic High’s girls’ flag program, William Jones Jr. was named the L.A. Rams’ CIF Southern Section Girls Flag Coach of the Year and awarded a $4,000 program grant.
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Nearly 500,000 girls ages 6–17 played flag football in 2023, marking a 63% increase since 2019, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
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Flag football has been officially approved as an Olympic sport and will debut for both men and women at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“The most important measure of how good a game I played is how much better I made my teammates play.”
— Bill Russell
