HENDERSON, Nev. (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Raiders hosted the team's fourth annual Inspire girls flag football all-star game on Saturday, and it brought more than just competition to Raiders headquarters.
"We grew up in a time where women's sports was just kind of on the back burner, and we're seeing now women's sports are nationally televised," said Marli Bartlett, Raiders football development manager. "We're having events like this specifically for girls. I think it's great and we're finally at the forefront of things."
The Raiders girls flag football clinic and all-star game has doubled in size since its start four years ago - a testament to the National Federation of State High School Associations study saying about 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football in 2023, a 63% increase since 2019.
"When I played, we barely had uniforms; we didn't know what uniforms to get. Our coaches would go out to soccer practice and softball practice to try to get girls out there. It was really kind of a secondary sport to the girls, but now we're seeing it's a primary sport," said Jodi Reich, Coronado High School girls flag football coach and Las Vegas native.
It has become a primary sport beyond reasons that involve competition.
"I've got girls in college who wouldn't be in college right now, and they have a chance to break that chain of no one in their family going to college, and it's because of this sport," said Joey Bowler, Virgin Valley High School girls flag football coach.
As flag football will be in the 2028 Olympics for the first time, the players plan to continue growing the sport until then and beyond.
"We just like to play and show them that we're here and we can play, you can obviously see our talent and it shows through everybody," one player said.
The Raiders will host their next girls flag football event in November.
