The game of football is changing, but not because of flag pulling or the absence of tackling. The rise of flag football is bringing opportunities to young women to play a sport that wasn’t always accessible to them.
Within the past five to seven years, women’s flag football has seen growth across the country at the high school level. For college athletics, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced women’s flag football as an official varsity sport in 2021, after partnering with the National Football League (NFL) and Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX).
Not to mention, at least 65 NCAA schools are sponsoring women’s flag football at either a club or varsity level, with more expected in 2026, according to the NCAA.
Despite seeing such progress at a youth level, the ultimate goal for these athletes will take place in Los Angeles, as flag football was officially added to the 2028 Summer Olympics.
With all the recent hype, local girls’ flag football coaches called for a combine where young athletes could showcase their skills and compete against one another. On June 21, girls, ages 13 to 17, arrived at San Diego State’s practice field to show the coaches and SDSU players what they had.
The coaches began with dynamic warmups to get the athletes loose for their first drills. The group was then split into their desired positions, such as quarterback, receiver, and defensive back, where they worked on offensive or defensive drills that were unique to their position.

After spending some time with individual skills training, they moved into one-on-one scrimmages—one receiver trying to get open with a specific route and one defender trying to deny the receiver of catching the ball. Next, they moved into two-on-two, then finished the combine with a full seven-on-seven scrimmage. The coaches had everyone huddle up after and thanked all the athletes for coming and giving their all.
“It was amazing, personally, being from San Diego since 1986,” coach Derek Ferrell said. “Being a part of bringing a new generation of girls’ flag football to San Diego…inspiring the next generation to continue in their skill of playing flag football.”
With high energy and excitement from those involved, the girls were eager to play their hardest and learn from their peers.
“When you give someone energy, they give it back to you,” said Ferrell. “You have to inspire for people to follow.”
As a dad, it isn’t hard for Ferrell to bring the energy and joy. But he can’t make the difference on his own. The assistance from other coaches is one thing, but having some of the SDSU football players to help lead the way meant everything to him.
“It’s very great to have them out here because all of us being in San Diego, it’s Aztecs,” Ferrell said. “That’s our football team and that’s our leadership.”
With the guidance of collegiate athletes, the young competitors have the opportunity to learn valuable lessons that can impact their athletic journey.

“They’re really athletic for their age,” SDSU football redshirt freshman safety Prince Williams said. “These people are going to be more developed. They’re going to be faster, they’re going to be stronger, and with them being mentally introduced to the game, they’re going to be able to adapt.”
With some of the kids already playing the game at an elite level, the coaching from SDSU’s players can take their game to the next level.
“There are some kids that definitely stand out…doing the drills pretty fast, and it looks like they know what they’re doing already,” freshman linebacker Jeremiah Tuiileila said. “It wouldn’t be surprising if we see some of these kids in the Olympics in the future.”
The kids were also lucky enough to learn from someone who finished in second place in the 2025 NAIA National Championship. Keisier sophomore wide receiver Hanna Lencioni finished her freshman season just short of a national title. The Seahawks finished their season 20-2, marking their best year since women’s flag football officially became a varsity sport in 2021.
“It’s awesome to see all the girls playing and everything,” Lencioni said. “I just want to put my cleats on and work with them, but it’s great to be on the other side and see what the coaches see.”
Having a similar dream of her own, she can display her work ethic and passion that will potentially lead her to a spot on an Olympic roster. With such a strong athletic ability, she’s able to pass her knowledge down to the younger generation.
“I never thought that I was going to be here, honestly,” Lencioni said. “I just want to inspire them and give them all the tips and tricks they can do so they can be better.”
After three hours of drills, conditioning, and scrimmages, the girls left everything on the field and proved to be passionate about flag football. But none of this would be possible without the help of the community.

“San Diego is really starting to represent,” Ferrell said. “We’re getting a lot of support and backing from the community, which is helping to back our families and parents to go to these opportunities for USA football.”
The girls had a lot of knowledge to take away from the event, but this is just the beginning. What they learned at the combine will potentially help them on their journey to a destination that nobody has reached—playing flag football in the Olympics.
“Trust the process,” Williams said. “During the process, you’re going to work, you’re going to keep on getting better. And if you really love it…you’re going to inspire yourself even more every day.”