Under Armour and Dick’s $1M Grant Boosts Girls’ High School Flag Football
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: When your players’ heads start replaying mistakes, have them “tag” that thought with a silly nickname—like “Drama Duck”—and quack it away with a big, goofy sound before lining up again; it zaps the doubt and gets them smiling back into the game.
Postgame Parents: Before heading to the field, have your kid pack a tiny “mission card” with their one go-to play tucked in their sock. Make them read it aloud in the car so they arrive locked in, hyped up, and maybe score a few giggles before kickoff.
Players Snap: Lock onto your opponent’s shoulders, not their eyes, and when they dip, rip the flag like you’re popping off a seatbelt—sharp, decisive, no mercy.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 Under Armour and The Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation announced a collective $1 million commitment to “Click Clack: Next Era Grant,” a new girls’ flag football grant.
Under Armour and The Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation have launched the Click Clack: Next Era Grant with a $1 million commitment to expand girls’ flag football programs and push for official high school sanctioning. Delivered by Beyond Sport, this funding targets rising youth participation and builds momentum ahead of flag football’s Olympic debut at LA28.
“Click Clack: Next Era Grant reflects our belief in the power of women’s and girls’ sports and our commitment to creating safe, welcoming environments where young athletes feel they belong. By removing barriers, we’re helping more girls compete, build community and grow their confidence,” said Flynn Burch, Under Armour director of global community impact & UA Next.
🌍 Regional Roundup
California (San Francisco): Boys at Lick-Wilmerding High School compete in a six‐school fall flag football league as a safer, lower‐cost alternative to tackle football, posting a 25-1 record and two championships in the past two seasons under coach Davion Fleming.
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California (Statewide): High school girls’ flag football rosters grew by 25,000 players between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years—reaching nearly 69,000 participants and almost 1,000 additional programs—while boys’ participation has declined over the same period.
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New York City: The NFL has shifted its Pro Bowl to a flag football format during Super Bowl week and added under-13 international coed and high school girls’ flag championships to broaden youth engagement and showcase grassroots talent.
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Los Angeles: Flag football will debut at the LA 2028 Olympics with both men’s and women’s tournaments, reflecting the NFL’s broader strategy to elevate the sport’s profile and build participation pathways worldwide.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Ava Allen – Flag football standout, Menlo School. Ava Allen has spent three years at the center of flag football’s meteoric rise in the Bay Area and starred in the Glow-Up Classic showcase during Super Bowl week, playing under UV lights for Team Pink alongside NFL quarterbacks. Her journey from Menlo School’s field to this national stage inspires young athletes to pursue big dreams.
“The whole thing — this has to be my favorite experience. Obviously it’s super special and a memory that’s going to stick with me,” Allen said.
📈 Flag Growth Focus
⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
Deion Sanders joked he’d take Druski’s NIL, apartment keys, and car keys after the NFL Celebrity Flag Football Game, creating one of Super Bowl week’s most viral soundbites.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“I like criticism. It makes you strong.”
— LeBron James
