A free flag football clinic for girls ages 6-18 will take place Sept. 2 and 3 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Preston Hood Athletic Complex in Fort Walton Beach.
- The clinic is being organized by Coach Jim Bay from Choctawhatchee High School, who has not only led the Indians to 3 state championship games in the past 4 years, but has been working for years to get more girls interested in playing flag football at younger ages.
“For years I’ve been trying to get enough girls interested in playing flag at a younger age, but there was never a big push for girls flag football until recently,” Bay said. “There were not that many opportunities after high school many years ago, but now that has changed. We have girls playing in college on full-ride scholarships and the NFL has jumped on board and invested a ton of money into the sport nationwide.”
Bay pointed to major companies like Nike and Oakley getting involved in the sport, along with college scholarships now available and the Olympics on the horizon. He called flag football “the fastest growing sport in the country.”
The coach explained that previously, girls often had to wait until middle school to try the sport, putting them behind others who had started earlier.
- “That’s why we pushed for the the middle school program – to help our high school programs – and now we are hoping to grow interest at an even younger age,” Bay said.
For many girls, Bay says the sport offers a chance to participate in something their fathers or brothers have done.
“Just the excitement for these girls to get to do something that their dad did in high school or their brother is currently doing in middle school, is really neat,” Bay said. “They’re having to go to the games, go to the peewee football practices, be on the sideline and only have an opportunity to maybe be a cheerleader.”
Bay’s own daughter was a cheerleader in the city league while his son played flag football. When she got the opportunity to play flag in ninth grade, “she fell in love with it.”
The clinic will break participants into age-appropriate groups for drills focusing on fundamentals like flag pulling, catching and throwing. Bay said it will be “a fast one-hour practice session with a lot of station transitions” designed to keep everyone active and involved.
Bay has seen how skills from other sports translate well to flag football. Soccer players bring good footwork and running ability, while basketball, volleyball and softball players often have strong catching skills.
- “The soccer girls are great runners and have good footwork. They can cut back and forth,” he said. “The basketball, volleyball, and softball girls have great catching off the sleeves.”
The ultimate goal is to create an all-girls league rather than having girls play in co-ed formats or as individual teams competing against boys’ teams.
“That’s the goal – to get where they’re not having to play co-ed and be split up amongst their peers and be able to play together and compete against each other,” Bay said.
Participants can attend one or both nights of the clinic. City residents can register online, while non-city residents need to register in person at the facility.
The clinic is presented by Emerald Coast Elite, Choctaw & Fort Walton Beach High School Flag Players and Coaches. The Preston Hood Athletic Complex is located at 132 Jet Drive NW. More information is available at FWB.org.
