 You don't see that many videos of women playing football. From a young age you're told that's what boys do, boys play football and you know girls you can support it and you can learn about it but you're never going to get to go out there and play. You see it all your life and it's always been boys, boys, boys and now this is your chance to you know step into that spotlight and make a big difference and why wouldn't you want to do that. Honestly just because we're women doesn't mean we can't do what guys do. Women can do just as much as men you know we're very athletic, we're athletic just like men. You know we have a lot of talent as well so I don't want women to feel like oh we can't do this and that because it's for men. We can do the same you know we all have talent, we all have something to show as well. You are capable of doing anything a male can do, a female can do it if they put their mind to it. Come watch the game, come support the game and every time they leave they go I had no idea that it was that physical. I had no idea that these girls were that tough. If you think the girls like football isn't physical come watch. It's amazing to see what these girls can do on the field. Women can play this sport just as well as men. Women know the sport, girls know the sport just as well as men but they haven't been given the opportunity to play it and for women to be able to build that confidence and to prove to themselves and to others that they can do this too that's the stuff that's going to change the world. There's a saying to say the closer you get to the football field the least opportunities there are for women. Wrong. We're debunking that myth. It's here and it's not going anywhere. We saw that there was a real need for girls and giving them an opportunity to play sports. We know that Georgia is one of the lowest states in the entire country when it comes to the amount of sports that they offer girls compared to boys so we wanted to make sure that we gave those girls an opportunity and what better than to give them an opportunity to play football. From our standpoint and our platform it was how can we make a difference in this particular area and knowing that girls flag football has been a popular sport in one of our neighboring states Florida it was why aren't we doing this here in Georgia. We need to be the stewards of football in the state of Georgia. You know we're an NFL franchise we're statewide that's our territory and we need to be supporting football high school football youth football youth flag football just never really occurred to me that that would include girls flag football so I think when they came to the idea it was okay can we make this work do we have enough bandwidth to handle this we went to the Georgia High School Association we told them that we wanted to get behind this in a big powerful way they showed some interest but what we decided to do was to start small in year one as far as running a pilot program we did that in Gwinnett County when we first approached Gwinnett we honestly didn't know if we were going to have enough girls to field the team that was one of the concerns early on some of those first meetings we had literally we looked across the table at one another and some of the folks from Gwinnett County and we said hey do you think we can get 15 and it was yeah we hope we should let's see if we can get 10 teams and we'll start there so I went to our athletic directors and asked them go to your schools start talking to your girls find out if there's any interest at all well there was you know there's one school for example that held the meeting and they had over 200 girls show as soon as we heard about this and we had our interest meeting we had 150 people come to that I was like wow this is crazy and then we had almost 100 show up at tryouts as the momentum grew and grew and grew and as we got closer to the season they actually came to us and said we're not going to have a problem fielding a team in any of our high schools in fact we have to host tryouts and we have hundreds of girls that want to try out for just 20 to 25 spots on a team then you started hearing about other schools across the county 400 people 300 people was like this could be a big deal so when we got that information we said we got something here and across the board the interest level was high that's when we knew we had something that's when we knew we had to act on it that's when we knew we had to continue to put more funding to it like we had to let this thing explode there were not a lot of people that thought that there was even a desire for young women to play and I think it shocked everyone that not just dozens of girls came out but hundreds of girls across the state of Georgia have come out to try out for this sport so there's a huge appetite for women to play there's a huge appetite for girls to learn and it's something that doesn't exist football teaches something that doesn't exist out there in any other sport and it just showed us that there's more of an opportunity here than we even realized I don't know too many boys that want to line up across from a shy I mean a shy is as dominant and as physical as I have ever seen an athlete be she is fast she is strong I mean she she is she's a coach's dream she's watched her brother her whole life you know play this game and she's always you know looked up to him and wanted to be like him and now she has the opportunity to shine just like he does and to be a standout just like he is the boys at schools talk about her all the time and they remembered her one hand catch from the Ben's last year and that went all over the school it's cool to have people talk about her and talk about the girls like oh wow you really can do this I feel like I can do more in the sport than I could do in track and I can do more than I could in basketball she has so much passion she gave up basketball and track and she's done those her whole life I even cried because I couldn't believe I was giving up track just to play flag football knowing there's no scholarship knowing there's not a lot of people know about it like it was just different I guess this is where it's ending that because she ain't looking back she's very stern on this right here like she loves flat football that's all she talks about there was more in the sport than there was in the other sports that I've been doing for like ten years and I'm more dedicated to flag football than I've been to any other sport I've even almost gave up dance for this sport I started dancing I was like five I tried everything I could possibly do dance tap ballet hip-hop I love to dance people look me I didn't know you dance yeah I can do I can probably dance circles around you but you wouldn't know that Ivy has been dancing since she was two three years old you give her a beat she can come up with a move she's running around dancing and on everything every beat and she would put me on the spot and say okay Dave you go I go and we were rehearsed together spotlight's never been a problem I might feel kind of jittery before but once they say let's go Ivy it's time to roll it's time to show like what I can really do what I can really be Ivy has a three point nine eight GPA she's in all AP classes she's involved in principal leadership club and wrestling and dance and just all kinds of things all you can be is a hundred percent where you are and Ivy is definitely a model example of that you know when she's at flag football there's there's nothing else she's with me and she's having fun and she's working hard and the minute she leaves she can go play that next role an AP student and gets her work done and it's remarkable watching her you know be able to kind of manage all those different things it was like girls flag football girls flag football that's a starting point I can start fresh I can learn something new get better at it we were capable of playing a new sport that was the first counting to do it I think that that that's what excited me we were going to be the original we were going to change something we're going to do something different so I'm going to football and everyone say you don't have any boys I'm like I got a bad girl though just like putting on a new pair of shoes people like which I'll play soccer no we play flag football we play football you're playing right here okay if she gets behind you the rest of the time you're trailing right you're fast enough to play six yards off and when they throw the ball short break the girls laugh me all the time for this I'm extremely passionate about the game of flag football I started as a freshman in college and played you know all throughout and and so when I heard they were bringing flag football I actually heard on the newspaper they're bringing flag football and that details would be coming soon I sent my resume to my athletic director the next day and said if this is coming to Grayson I need to be a part of it this is what I've done this is who I am please give me the opportunity to be a part of this we played our game we formed our team he had an envision before we even before he even made a team he was out yeah we got this expect so much but he he cares he cares he feels like girls should be seen and they should be known for what they can do and it's like he's pushed us so hard to be that being that he does that we became a great team we were starting a sport that you know they they knew very little about they knew you know high school football and NFL football but you know teaching them this game from the ground up and watching them grow and the sport has been rewarding in itself and how much they care about just not even just themselves but you know all those that come after them and it's it's incredibly rewarding is the really word I would use rewarding to be a part of their journey in a part of their lives we've had some ups and downs and we've you know you have those tight practices but this group they just they bonded in a way that I haven't seen in many other teams I've coached and the joy that each of these girls bring is just it's infectious and so it was so fun to come to practice every day and so fun to come games every day and it made me want to be a better person because they were such great kids we're engaged we're getting married we yes the whole team's getting married when is it I can be the flower girl she keeps telling me she's gonna be my flower girl and she's picked out her colors and her dress I look at my teams and extended family you know you celebrate victories with your family you celebrate special moments with your family so for them to you know show that kind of love which it was just it was really really special and made it feel like we really are a family and yeah it was it was a big moment so the rules are a little bit different but the goals are the same get a first down anyway you can score touchdowns win the game but the players I spoke to have a different aim to be the beginning hoping that other schools other counties other states even can see what they're doing and maybe start their own flag football program I was kind of sad though because I wish it was started earlier so this wasn't my last year playing but I mean it is cool that I got to start something and see how it goes I feel like every county should do it I think Gwinnett County is like the starter of it and it's gonna definitely take off the GHSA says it would take time to make flag football an official statewide sport but schools can hold intramural competitions that players like Ryan McDowell say is a good start it gives you know girls a place at the table sports wise because a lot of the times it is you know it's dominated by guys and our boys here the football players are so supportive our principal comes to every single game and it's really invigorating and it's a really it's a really great experience I'm glad I got to be a part of and perhaps more people will get involved in the future and maybe the next generation of football players in Georgia will look a little different even in this sport we've seen some of the stereotypes of we go man these girls aren't just out here to you know hold hands and have fun and you know like they're here to win they're here to compete for the girls to get to experience the same way that the guys get to experience it they get they get up downs they get suicides they get yelled at at practice they get yanked off the field when they miss the miss a flag pool or or their responsibility on something or they they don't look a ball all the way in it's the same that happens to you know boys when they're playing football and it's that tough love thing and then again reason the light bulb come on it's super rewarding for both the athlete and the coach I think they see that they are laying the groundwork for what the sport will become and that you know they're the first ones to do this but it's important to kind of get their story out there and to talk about the importance of the sport so that hopefully more girls in the future decide that this is an avenue that they can take which I think is really cool this is a super super special day a special day for all of you ladies to celebrate being here at Mercedes Benz Stadium and to have the opportunity to be real pioneers for girls flag football here in the state of Georgia guys to take advantage of this moment because I guarantee you in no other state in no other county has anybody been together like this as a group of women female athletes playing the sport of football last year's summit was incredible I knew it was going to be a game-changing experience for these young women but to see the joy on their faces when they ran out of that tunnel on the field was priceless there were tears there was laughter there were hugs there was joy at what other opportunity other than sport can provide something like that and we need your help to spread the word we need your help to get women to try out we need your help to help make this sport a sanctioned sport in the state of Georgia and in your counties and in your high schools I loved having the female leaders come there and speak to the girls my girls were super engaged in it and they thought that it was a really cool that they didn't know all the different industries that these females could be a part of find what you love and you find your purpose mine is basketball working with young women like yourself being a role model when you figure out what you love then you'll find your career super neat for the girls to get to hear about women in sports and their journey to get there you know every girls story is different and to hear the women talk about how they got to where they are and the failures or you know the missteps along the way that led them there I think that was important for the girls to hear that it's not all you know a better rose is that it's gonna be hard to fight for but it's worth it get out there take risks don't be scared for failure because you're never gonna know what's on the other side of that if you don't try it was very surreal like it was like I feel like I'm doing something that sounds so cheesy but that can really change change the way we do sports I can change the way women are in sports so that's it was really cool we had our names and we had our jersey numbers they had everything lined up the boxes the gloves the mouthpiece our jersey I just remember seeing number 12 right there the experience of them walking into the locker room and seeing all the Nike stuff and getting that and then stepping on to the field and being like I'm on this field the emotion and the passion that these girls have out on the field is something that I don't know that I've ever seen before it is absolutely incredible to see them out there screaming and focused and just it's just unmatched it's just so intense they clearly love this game and they love being a part of it and they love to have a seat at the table and just being able to play on the same field that everyone else can play on it's just really cool we got a chance to see what it actually feels like and show the girls in the stands that they can do it too like they can come out and play too honestly I feel like it sends a huge message for women you know I feel like when people watch this they see how serious this is like how competitive we get that I feel like this can be view-changing and a lot of people's perspective on women in sports will change I think my hopes and dreams are that it takes off in the state first that it gets to be a sanctioned sport for the girls because they certainly deserve it I think they're true athletes but then I want it to be national I want this to be an opportunity for every young girl to get to compete in in black football because of you ladies and because of what you have accomplished this year we have five other counties around Georgia that are gonna start girls infrastructure that's needed to start a sport nobody really understands you know when they talked about starting flag football there were some people that made jokes yeah just buy flags and a football throw them on a field and let that that would be such a disservice to these girls if that was the level of commitment but the Falcons have gone so far beyond that the bus rides that they're needed to go to other schools nobody really thinks about you know all the jerseys that these girls need to wear nobody really thinks about you know like the coaching no one really thinks about all the other things that kind of go into developing a sport from the ground up there was nothing there was absolutely no infrastructure put in place and so their support has been like encouraging but it's also been absolutely necessary for these girls to have these opportunities it just simply couldn't exist without them so I'm a huge thank you to Atlanta Falcons organization for giving these girls the chance to play a sport that they have become so passionate about they really do want to grow and develop girls and they want them to be successful at the next level and so investing in this is investing in their future we're not in it for players to play on Saturday in college football or players to play on Sunday we're in it for what football teaches you it is the ultimate team sport the reliance on player to player and the necessity that all those players in this case seven at once participate in a unified method for success is an incredible learning for those young ladies so we love what football brings to the maturity and to the growth of the individual and to the empowerment of the young ladies the beauty of the sport of football it's its diversity its inclusion football finds a place for everyone and we've seen that growing up as students student-athletes as professional athletes there's no bias to body type gender race that's the beauty of sport and to see young ladies participate why I love girls flag football so much is that it gives girls that don't necessarily fit the mold of all these other sports flag football gives all these different girls in all these different roles the ability to play and it truly is the only sport in my opinion that gives all these different girls a chance to play these girls are the trailblazers those these girls are the reason why we have girls flag football in Georgia now like if they hadn't gone out to try out if they hadn't shown interest level if their parents didn't allow them to play we wouldn't have had what we've had it is so important for these young women to be trailblazers and almost take the baton and empower other young women and other young girls to be able to create these opportunities and follow in their footsteps if we don't have young voices that are also pulling other young women through the ranks then we're never going to be able to change the world but what's really cool is you give a woman the opportunity you give a young girl the opportunity and this is where true game-changing actually happens word that keeps coming up again is trailblazers and you know sometimes people say you have to be fearless in your life but I don't think that's it I think all of us face fear and what impresses me so much about this group of women in this room right here is that you looked fear in the face and you said you don't scare me I'm stepping up to play girls flag football anyway and I want these young women to walk away today realizing they looked fear in the face they tried something new and their passion for this sport pushed them forward their companionship with their teammates is what pushed them through that fear to the other side of being able to accomplish something really amazing which is being on the forefront of a brand-new sport across the country you are going to be the first people in our state that get this news and we are going to share it with you right now and I hope you understand how important you were to this announcement because of you ladies and gentlemen I am here to tell you today that all 159 Georgia counties and high schools will have girls flag football next year when I saw the confetti fall and I just heard the announcement actually get made I don't know that there's a word that describes it it just was pure of motion like I am right now you know just the amount of time and effort and energy of not just you know our associates with the Falcons and just pushing hard for it but also all of the counties like all around you know Georgia and Metro Atlanta that helped make this happen and put in all those extra hours to make sure that their girls have that opportunity to play too was just awesome the game of football represents emotion and passion that's what you saw today organic just who they are what they represent they brought the energy to the stadium and then coming into the room and it's contagious I'm of that philosophy that you kind of walk jog and run in this case we're kind of going to go walk run because in two years we've gone from one to six to 159 counties which shows you the passion that the girls have for the sport star 94 one this is Jen and friends in studio with us this morning are some friends that are trailblazers you got to make a huge announcement that affects so many families all across Georgia yeah so yesterday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium we were able to announce that girls flag football is going to be an official sanctioned sport some incredible news that we feel that you know we're gonna have thousands of girls being able to play flag football all over our state here in the coming years this is such a cool thing I love it it's an official sanctioned sport we're now celebrating our 100 years of football what is the next 100 years of football look like it's thank you one more time the more opportunities that the girls can have to compete the more that they're gonna be successful later in life and so I think it's historic because you're finally we're giving girls the opportunity to be big and be great and be a star and I think that's a really there's a saying to say the closer you get to the football field the least opportunities there are for women wrong we're we're debunking that myth and we've seen 159 counties here in the state of Georgia to say we are sanctioning girl flag football which tells us it's here and it's not going anywhere at the end of the day your responsibilities in your life are the most important things to you because you know at some point in everyone's life you got to hang up the cleats and who are you when you do and I think that that's the more important question to see that there's more opportunities for girls to compete and to develop those leadership skills and basic life skills a shy little sister Jaila comes and stands on the sidelines with us every single game she's like hey coach tell shy to do this or hey I'm gonna be a coach or I want to do this being on the field and seeing my little sister want to be just like me I want to show her and put it in her mind that she can do this sport too and she can be just as good as me or even better come on see come on see come on see fast fast fast she she became an individual when I saw her on that flag football field flag football gave her the opportunity to grow flag football is helping Ivy and all the young girls be a leader and and it just builds their character flag football will forever live with me because now I know how to help someone now I know how to motivate someone to do better now I know that I'm capable of doing things that I never knew I could be capable of doing when she got that jersey out there she's very sad it means a lot to me and her I'm a proud parent every single girl that grows up is better off for it because you know getting in these sports and getting involved in these things is proven time and time again to help them with character development to help them with learn responsibility and the amount of girls that will be affected by this in the future is amazing it's awesome the goal from the beginning was to get to where we are today and that's a sanctioned sport just like soccer just like softball just like basketball girls flag football is going to pull in a whole another segment of girls that's what we wanted exposing more girls to athletics there's there's no college coaches sitting in the stands they just truly want to play for the love of the game and I know that sounds cliche but the thing about these girls is they're fiercely competitive and you know you can hear the screaming in the background right now and it doesn't matter if there are six people in the stands or 6,000 people in the stands they compete at a high level for the love of the game and that's what high school athletics are supposed to be about now think about every young little boy who has a young sister it's no longer the sister going over here playing this or participate in this activity it is a we're going out and catch or they're both getting ready to participate in football that is the mindset of there's no longer this is for boys this is for girls no this is for us what we have here is a defining moment a turning point where these girls now believe that they can accomplish anything that they want that they want to that they set their their sights on they set goals they're going to leave a legacy for their brothers or sisters or neighbors for those kids that are coming up next and it's something they would cherish forever what Georgia does the rest of the nation will follow and I say this Georgia Texas when those two states whatever they're doing in particular around football the rest of the nation follows so this is a special moment but it's a model it's a monumental moment because what the Atlanta Falcons are doing becomes a model what we can do across the nation this moment in time is just the beginning I look at this moment as an incredible opportunity to set the stage for young women and girls if you look back 10 years from now 50 years from now this time is so pivotal for us to be able to put women and girls on the map and help provide them the opportunity to play the sport of football to learn and develop within the sport of football and really be able to understand that they can make a difference they can create change and they belong in this sport