Flag football: Not just for boys
Marlee Jackson and Arianna Kalso on the gridiron playing co-ed flag football last fall.
“Football is so fun and not just for boys.”
Knightsbridge neighbor Marlee Jackson (11) loves football and is actively recruiting for the first girls flag football league through Castle Pines Athletics (CPA).
CPA has had a co-ed NFL flag football league for more than a decade, but this spring is the first time they are hosting an all-girls league, provided enough girls sign up. Marlee has spread the word. She has made and hung posters around her school, Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE), made weekly appearances on BRE TV announcements, and talked to anyone who will listen.
Marlee watched her younger brother, Mason, play flag football, and her dad coached Mason’s team. Sometimes, Marlee would help at practice and she became hooked. She played on the CPA co-ed team for the past couple of years.
Marlee is on to something. The NCAA is adding women’s flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program, opening playing potential at every level, including at Rock Canyon High School (RCHS). (See Lauren Scott story on front page.) Knowing flag football is no longer co-ed in high school and beyond, Marlee is ready: “because women get excluded from a lot of sports and deserve their own league,” she said. The availability and emphasis on all-girl teams at the younger ages will only promote stronger players and teams as the girls age and gain more experience.
Marlee aims to play in middle and high school. “I hope more girls try flag football and do what makes them happy. Football is so fun and not just for boys,” she said.
Off the gridiron, Marlee is a typical preteen girl. She hangs out with friends and family and plays with her cats. She is on the RCHS Junior Jags Cheer Team and is involved with musical theater, participating in Alice in Wonderland this spring.
Marlee’s parents, Amber and Quincey, love to see their daughter’s passion for flag football. The Jackson family traveled to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, last summer. They witnessed Marlee fall in love with football even more, despite her disappointment over the lack of women represented there, and her determination to accomplish her goals.
There are several youth sports leagues now offering girls flag football, including CPA and Raptors Athletics. (See page 2 of the E Guide insert).
Marlee Jackson and her mom, Amber, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer.
By Celeste McNeil; photos courtesy of Amber Jackson
