KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Girls Play Flag Football, an NFL affiliate, hosted a spring clinic Sunday afternoon at Notre Dame de Sion High School in Kansas City, Missouri.
Girls of all ages were invited to the skills and drills camp.
For some, it was their first time playing. For others, it was a warm-up before league play kicks off.
Miguel Zepeda, GPFF founder, said the goal of the day was to expose girls to the sport, which is why area Girl Scouts were invited to participate.
"If they want to be able to come out and play sports, we want to give them an opportunity to do so," Zepeda said. "They haven’t been involved in football in this capacity ... they've more been on the sideline and hoping to get in the game."
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College flag football players around the KC area volunteered to teach the younger players the sport.
Eight-year-old Sloane Kruger, who will play in the league for the first time this year, said her favorite part of the game is throwing the ball. She also told KSHB 41 News that was what she wanted to work on at the clinic.
Joliete Johnson plays flag football at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. She helped at the clinic in hopes of making an impact on the girls in attendance.
"I want everyone to love football as much as I do, and being able to teach little girls that it's okay to step up into this male-dominated sport and say, 'No, I can do this. I can play the sport,' and to give them these opportunities to teach them is so, so important," Johnson said.
Zepeda said he hoped girls would leave the day with a better understanding of the sport and maybe an open mind to signing up for the league.
If you know a girl wanting to try flag football, visit the GPFF website.
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