Women’s flag football debuts: A league of their own

Class is now in session at Southwestern College.

The subject: Women’s Flag Football 101.

It’s the newest sport on the block and expanding rapidly.

It’s already carved out a growing niche at the high school level with more than 300 girls participating in the Metro Conference. League champions during the 2025 fall season included Bonita Vista (Metro-Mesa League), Hilltop (Metro-South Bay League) and San Ysidro (Metro-Pacific League).

Bonita Vista won the inaugural San Diego Section Division I championship in the sport’s first year while three local teams advanced to division championship games in the second year.

Mater Dei Catholic won the Division III title while San Ysidro and Olympian met in the Division IV championship game. Olympian scored a CIF repeat as the Division V champion last fall.

The sport has expanded rapidly from two section divisions to five.

Ten East County schools competed in sanctioned play in 2025. Steele Canyon (Grossmont Hills League) and El Capitan (Grossmont Valley League) won league titles.

A new professional women’s flag football league is set for an inaugural all-star tour this summer with franchises in each of Southern California’s eight counties, San Diego County included. Full league launch is set for May 2027.

The National Football League sponsors youth flag football competitions at the grassroots level.

Men’s and women’s flag football is to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Both Southwestern College coach Chris Krich and Grossmont College coach Eboni Chambers called women’s flag football an “emerging sport.”

The fledgling teams of both schools met in a non-sanctioned game last Friday with the visiting Lady Griffins coming out on top 18-7 to claim the first win in program history and, in the process, up their modest record to 1-3-1.

Southwestern dropped to 0-6 following additional losses to East Los Angeles (10-0) and Saddleback (39-0) while participating in two tournaments. The Lady Jaguars will host the University of Redlands on April 7 in their next outing.

Grossmont is expected to host Southwestern College in a return match before the season is over.

“It’s been great,” Krich said. “The girls are positive, right now understanding the fundamentals of the game. It’s been a phenomenal experience. It’s fast-paced, a lot of action.”

Chambers echoed those comments.

“Everyone at the college is very sympathetic to us and excited now that we got our first win,” she said.

The sport has transcended the high school level and is now being embraced at the collegiate level. About 65 NCAA schools are offering women’s flag football either as a club or varsity sport.

The Pacific Coast Athletic Conference is expected to vote on formally adding women’s flag football to the full interscholastic lineup.

The California Community College Athletic Association administers intercollegiate athletic activities on behalf of the state’s 116 community colleges. The organization anticipates around 40 women’s flag football programs across northern and southern California in 2025-26.

“We are very proud to offer a direct pathway and college destination for high school flag football in our region,” said Tom Gang, Dean of Wellness, Exercise Science and Athletics at Southwestern College.  “Adding women’s flag football allows the institution to align its sport offerings to the future of an emerging sport as well as invest in new opportunities for women to compete in college athletics.”

With its inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics, the sport’s global popularity is expected to skyrocket.   

“Southwestern College is excited to champion the growth and be one of the institutions of higher education at the forefront of an emerging women’s sport,” said SWC athletic director Ron Valenzuela. “The launch of flag football broadens our sport offerings and strengthens our connection with the South San Diego community. Women’s flag football will be more accessible by having a collegiate program right here in Chula Vista.  This is going to be very special.”

The inaugural SWC roster features 22 ladies. Grossmont kicked off its first season with 20 on its roster.

Krich said the program didn’t go into its first season blindly.

“We had sent out an informational flyer and got some response, so we knew we would likely get around 20 at tryouts,” he said.

 “It was definitely a surprise,” Chambers admitted. “We were hopeful for around 10 or 12.”

The Lady Griffins received touchdowns from quarterback Niyobie McGraw, Aubrey Zerkle and Leslie Carolina Osuna (interception return).

Mia Murillo scored Southwestern’s TD while Lynnette Baez, Claudine Fadriquela and Abby Macias each recorded picks.

“This first season is mainly to get things started,” Krich underscored. “We are looking doing this again either as a class or as a club team if it gets formally approved as a sport in the conference.”

In the meantime, class remains in session.