Sunnyslope High School launched a flag football club this fall, providing young women with an opportunity to participate in the nation’s fastest-growing sport, according to Coach Allie Biedermann.
The club will hold practices during the fall and spring, as well as scrimmages against other schools.
After the initial club season, “The long term hope for the team is to get it approved as an official AIA sport for fall of 2026 to really get the program off the ground. Having it as an official sport will hopefully allow the team to build a strong foundation to develop a very competitive program that can continue to grow,” said Senior Dylan Baecker, a contributing founder of the Sunnyslope Flag Football Club.
Baecker, Biedermann, and Senior Riley Rounds have been working together to start this program for over a year, and have faced many challenges along the way.
The most prominent issue was “that we didn’t have enough field space,” said Rounds.
However, flag football is “becoming a more popular sport, so the girls at Sunnyslope should have the opportunity to play,” said Rounds.
So, the founders have made necessary sacrifices in order to launch the club before their departure from Sunnyslope.
Rounds said “We’ll probably have to do morning practices,” and Baecker added “The club was the solution… because we can be more flexible with field space for the time being, and it was the best solution to start the program as soon as possible despite the conflicts.”
Now, because of Baecker, Biedermann, and Rounds’ dedication to creating a flag football team, young women all throughout Sunnyslope have the chance to experience the joys, discipline, and community that flag football has to offer.
Sophomore Joey Crafton shared how the creation of the team “empowers and inspires [her] as a girl.”
While Crafton emphasized the empowerment behind the new club, Sophomore Keira Bohr highlighted the opportunities it creates for females on campus.
“No girls are on the football team, so girls’ flag football is a way for them to play football,” Bohr reveals.
After pointing out the lack of female players on the traditional football team, Bohr added that the new club will not only provide that chance but also stand alongside other sports on campus.
“Flag football will be a great new addition” and will “fit in just as well as the other sports and, over time, be competitive, if not more competitive,” Bohr believes.
Hopefully, this program will grow to be another sport in which Sunnyslope is a top performer in the state.
Baecker said “Sunnyslope needs a girls flag football team… to keep our athletics program in competition with the other schools in the area.”
Before the team can reach that level, however, it will take preparation.
Beidermann said the club will hold workouts and scrimmage against other schools this spring to gain practice and experience.
This disciplined practice will create enthusiasm.
Bohr expressed her personal excitement and said she is “so happy they added flag football.”
She is specifically elated for the skills she will be able to build, like “running faster, having better footwork, and throwing the ball farther.”
A wider approach of interest matched these personal feelings.
Crafton echoed the enthusiasm, explaining that the new team could also build stronger connections across campus: “I think more girls will be excited to watch games and donate as they feel a personal connection to the team.”
Looking ahead, Coach Biedermann also noted that the first official practice date will be announced once the club receives approval from the district.
