BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — In just a few days, Friday night lights will be back as we kickoff the 2024 season. But girls flag football is sweeping the state, thanks in large part to the Detroit Lions. Battle Creek Central was one of the leagues' founding programs.
“I always had brothers growing up so I always loved football,” said Alexis Green.
But tackle football wasn’t really in the cards for Alexis Green.
“Me and a few other girls went up to Coach Granger and asked if we could get a flag football team,” said Green.
Established in 2022 the Detroit Lions created the states first ever girls high school flag football pilot league, with Battle Creek Central being one of the first teams.
“It just seems like we have a ton of things for the boys, especially at a young age, but just not enough for the girls. So when I took the A.D. (Athletic Director) job, my highest priority was doing things for the girls. Student voices are important so we listened to what they wanted and tried to find a way to give that to them,” said Athletic Director Lorin Granger.
Mario Brown is a math teacher at the school, and on the boys football staff. He had no issue jumping in as the girls coach for their inaugural season.
“I wasn’t too nervous. I’m from Battle Creek, born and raised. So a lot of these kids are near and dear to my heart. I look at them as younger siblings, so it was an easy transition,” said Brown.
When the Lions first started the program, there were just four schools who joined. Last year that number jumped to 24 teams, and they hope to have more West Michigan teams participate this up coming season.
“There are 11 states in our country that have flag football at the high school level as a sanctioned sport for girls. We have a ways to go there, but the bottom line is the competition. It’s neat to see girls who love to watch the game of football, who can now take that, and maybe they’re not interested in playing tackle, we get that. So this is another great option for girls to play, compete, have fun, make memories and love the game,” said Chris Fitzsching.
Because the league was created by the Lions, they also pay for all of the uniforms and gear, something that otherwise couldn’t happen for certain districts.
“Each one of these kids haven’t been exposed to that level of genuine kindness. So it’s always nice to have a big name like the Detroit Lions to come and support us,” said Brown.
At the end of their four week season, the Bearcats got to travel to Detroit for a tournament at Ford Field - the same place where their idols play.
“It was a first time experience. The field was huge! And I got to experience it with me and a whole bunch of the other girls. And playing against the other teams, it was my first time, my first game there, so it was a big, huge experience,” said Green.
Through this first season, the girls learned more than just routes. They gained more confidence and made friends they otherwise, would’ve never known if it weren’t for football.
“A lot of girls said ‘well I don’t know how to play football’ and I said ‘we don’t know how to play either. This is new to all of us’. So it was very good. Seeing them come out of their shell and being more active on the field. And because of that, we get to talk in school because we actually never really talked. So it made a huge impact,” said Kyliera Guest.
They had about 20 girls on the team last year and are already expecting to grow the team for the season this spring. There also are a growing list of colleges offering scholarships for girls flag football, one of them being Sienna Heights,
The Lions are very interested in expanding to West Michigan. If you're an Athletic Director or school administrator who's interested in more information about the program, click here and scroll down to find the intent to participate form.
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