The final whistle sounded, as the Paly girls flag football team hung their heads after a winless debut season. The scoreboard reflected the many struggles that came with a brand-new program. But beneath the disappointment and frustration something rose within the girls: a determination to learn, grow and come back stronger. That motivation would soon lead to one of the most remarkable turnarounds a team has had in Paly athletic history.
Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in America, especially for girls. Its appeal is driven by its inclusivity, accessibility and safety—which is reflected by a 63 percent increase in female players from 2019 to 2023 according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Paly has also jumped on this trend, introducing their own all-female varsity flag football team with their debut season in 2024.
The team finished its first season 0-10, a discouraging start which could have ended the program before it truly even began. Instead, their losing season lit a spark in players, who bounced back for the 2025 season and ended with a record of 14-4—an almost unimaginable level of improvement in just one year.
Paly’s flag football team has proven just how much time, effort and practice can completely change the outcome and future of a program.
Many sports at Paly have been established for decades, with consistently dominant or popular teams like football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, swim and water polo who don’t have to worry about funding or interest levels for student athletes. However, flag football didn’t have that luxury; with a program that is new and a sport that is less widely known and practiced—there was no guarantee that the team would have enough interested students to thrive. But according to sophomore quarterback and all-league MVP Eleanor Wells, despite flag football being a new sport, there was high levels of interest.
“There was a big amount of interest when the program initially started as the coach did have to cut some of the players,” Wells said.
But interest levels aren’t all it takes to build a successful program from scratch. For athletic director Scott Davis, building a program that is able to thrive is not only about the number of players, it’s about the momentum of the team.
“Success would be the sport growing in numbers and popularity, which it is,” Davis said.
“And hopefully [we’re] building enough momentum to field a JV team next year as well.”
The new program had to worry about resources as well and the lack of available field space at Paly proved to be a challenge for the program early on, however, in building the new softball field, Paly has taken steps to ensure that the team has what it needs moving forward.
“Field space is challenging,” Davis said, “But with the new practice field and softball field, we will have a designated spot for them to practice.”
The challenges and struggles of building the brand new program were reflected by the team’s inaugural season in which they won no games. These coaches and players had to start from scratch with no experience, no playbook and no previous team chemistry to help them. For many it was their first time playing football—specifically flag—in a competitive environment.
Senior all-league 1st team player Kailia Leming has been with the team since their first season, citing that it hasn’t always been easy to build team chemistry.
“The first season was interesting,” Leming said. “We had some really athletic girls on our team but we just didn’t connect well and there was a gap in our game knowledge. Things like how to run a route, how to cover defense efficiently, etc.”
Despite their discouraging first season, many players returned for a shot at redemption on the field. Those who came back found exactly what they seeked—a season with a winning record and multiple CCS all-league players. The shift from 0-10 to 14-4 didn’t happen by accident and it certainly didn’t happen overnight. It took deeper understanding for the game, team bonding and trust between players and coaches to provide this change.
“Considering we didn’t win a single game last year, I think that the program has really grown a lot since last year,” Wells said. “This year, our head coach hired a defensive coach who has really developed the defense’s skills and helped them get better each day.”
There were a couple key changes the team focused on going into their second season that helped them succeed majorly, including the new addition of a defensive coach—Nancy Nguyen—who plays on the national flag football team.
“Some key moments from this season were probably when we started the season strong going into over half the season undefeated,” Leming said. “Going into CCS for the first time and having this season with our new coach—coach Nancy.”
Davis also accredits the team’s success to their athleticism and their improvement reflects the athletic potential at Paly.
“The team put together a good group of athletes who have played other sports and their athleticism really showed,” Davis said.
Many athletes found that they not only fell in love with the sport of flag football, but fell in love with the community that was built alongside the program. Flag football brings many different athletes together—from multi-sport athletes, to club flag players, to people who had never played a Paly sport before—and creates a home for these students.
“Over time, I think our team chemistry has substantially helped the team become more and more successful,” Wells said. “From going to dinner together to just waving to each other in the halls, our bond has grown along with the success of the team.”
Beyond improvement on the field, many flag players found something even more meaningful—strong community bonds and friendships.
“My favorite part of being on this team is that it has brought me into a big community of very nice and enthusiastic people,” Wells said. “When I was a freshman, I didn’t know a lot of people at Paly, but after the first flag football practice I knew that I had made a bunch of friends.”
The team culture quickly grew to be one of the most important assets they could have and Wells gained leadership experiences that were unlike any previous sport she had played.
“This team is so special to me because I feel like I am one of the girls that the freshmen look up to,” Wells said. “Being a leader is hard, but the reward is having a team you care for and a team that cares for you.”
The relationships built between players strongly translated onto the field and for many of these athletes, their hard work had its rewards. For Wells personally, the league recognized her improvement through awarding her as league MVP.
“Getting the league MVP award felt like all of my hard work finally paid off,” Wells said. “Last year when I was a freshman, I only had a couple chances to play quarterback. Coming into this year, I had to mentally prepare myself to face hardships like losses, interceptions and bad passes.”
Instead of dwelling on mistakes, Wells set her sights on improvement.
“I taught myself to move on and look towards the next play,” Wells said. “That mentality really helped me.”
Additionally, the team provides an important area of representation for girls in football.
For years, football has been a “boys only” sport, where girls never got the chance to participate as athletes if they wanted to. Flag football is providing an opportunity for those female athletes who never got the chance to play tackle football growing up or in high school. On top of that, there was a lot of enthusiasm around flag at Paly.
“It’s great to continue to grow opportunities for girls sports, and flag was the perfect one to add based on the excitement,” Davis said.
As a varsity sport, flag football also acts as a sport that is accessible to players who may not be able to afford to play club flag football. Club sports often require hefty payment for coaches, tournament travel fees and expensive equipment that may not be feasible for students to pay. However, varsity sports provide transportation, uniforms, coaches and fields without student payment.
This levels the playing field for many students and grants accessibility to the entirety of the female student body to play a sport that they may never have gotten to experience otherwise.
“It gives female athletes another opportunity to find a sport and hopefully one they love playing,” Davis said.
Looking forward, the next challenge for the team isn’t necessarily winning—it’s maintaining momentum. As a new team, girls flag football must find a way to cement themselves as a staple sport at Paly and permanently establish the importance of the team to the school’s athletic program. One way they could do that is by implementing a JV team as early as next season.
“[We’re] hoping to add a JV team next year,” Davis said. “[To do that we have to]continue to grow in numbers and success.”
As the team potentially expands, so will the necessary resources such as coaches, equipment and field time—showing the increasing demand of the program.
But for now, the varsity team is focused on themselves and their goals for the upcoming 2026 fall season.
“My goals for the next two seasons at Paly are to win league again and maybe even try for CCS,” Wells said. “But the most important goal of mine is to become a role model and leader for the younger players.”
As a whole, flag football has proven to be an impressive addition to Paly’s athletic program and it looks as though this sport is here to stay. The develop
ment and popularity of this sport is reinforced by its rapid growth on a national and international level.
In 2028, flag football will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles. The announcement, made in 2023, followed a survey by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association which showed that over 20 million people played flag football in more than 100 countries.
The expansion is especially prominent in the United States. In January 2026 women’s flag football was added to the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program effective immediately. The program is designed to support developing sports on their way to collegiate-level competitions. It also opens the doors for future flag football scholarships and opportunities for girls across the country.
The sport’s rapid growth has already changed the possibilities for high school athletes.
“The sport overall was an amazing experience and opened my eyes to the sport that it is and is becoming,” Leming said. “It’s awesome especially for my underclassmen teammates because it’s becoming a collegiate sport.”
Within high schools, participation has also surged. Flag football has fewer specialized jobs, less protective gear and a smaller roster than typical tackle football. This makes it significantly cheaper and easier to introduce to high schools across the country. Unlike tackle football, flag is non-contact, which offers a great alternative for students and parents who worry about the safety measures that come with football.
“It is a great opportunity for them [female athletes] to try a sport they may have tried in middle school without it being a full tackle sport,” Davis said.
Between the 2023-24 season and 2024-25 season the National Federation of High School Sports reported an increase of 25,000 participants. The number of high schools offering flag football nearly doubled as well, from 1,777 to 2,736. California plays a large role in this increase and accounts for 29% of all girls flag football players in the country.
The Bay Area has also played a particularly influential role. The growth partially contributed to the San Francisco 49ers Foundation, which launched the initiative “Football is Made for Girls” alongside NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young. The initiative aims to help grow girls flag football in the Bay Area and beyond and helps to provide equitable opportunities for girls to learn and compete.
This growth has reflected back at Paly, where what started as a brand-new 0-14 team struggling to get its footing has become a successful and impressive program that is built on perseverance, opportunity and community.
In just two seasons, the team has completely transformed into one of the most successful sports currently at Paly. Beyond their record, the team has provided a new community that is a safe space for many girls to try a new sport and many of these athletes end up excelling at flag football.
As interest for the program continues to grow, the Paly administration is hoping to add a JV team next year to provide flag exposure to even more student-athletes at Paly. The addition of a JV team would surely cement the future of the program and could even improve their success in the near future. Paly’s addition of the sport follows the rapid growth of flag all around the country on many different levels, including the development of collegiate and international teams.
What began as a dream for Paly athletics became a successful reality in which flag football provides representation, new opportunities and an impactful community—showing that with great dedication, even the newest programs can quickly thrive.
