Ready, Set, Play! Richmond Girls Take the Field

Cue the NFL theme song…  The excitement is building, and it’s time for kickoff! While it might not be Sunday night football, we’re thrilled to announce a groundbreaking new initiative: Fit4Kids is partnering with Richmond Public Schools to bring girls flag football to all eight RPS high schools. Get ready for a season of action, empowerment, and community as we offer high school girls the chance to break barriers and make their mark on the field! 

We are excited to announce that starting this month, Fit4Kids is partnering with Richmond Public Schools (RPS) to launch after-school girls flag football clubs across all eight RPS high schools, including specialty schools. This initiative provides an incredible opportunity for girls to break gender norms, build confidence, and enhance their physical and mental well-being through sports.

Flag football is rapidly growing in popularity, particularly among young girls, and it offers a great way to engage in a team sport while developing valuable life skills such as leadership, teamwork, and discipline. At Fit4Kids, we are committed to providing equitable opportunities for physical activity and healthy living, which is why we are thrilled to introduce this program to high school students. Our 2024-2027 “Growing Healthy Kids” strategic plan has a focus on expanding our reach to high school-aged youth, and flag football emerged as one of the ideal sports to achieve that goal.

In addition to Richmond Public Schools, we’re excited to announce that the Washington Commanders are joining the flag football effort! The Commanders are fully committed to growing the sport for young girls and are providing essential equipment and gear for the teams. If you watched the Super Bowl this year, you might have seen the NFL’s ad supporting girls’ flag football—and now, the Commanders are bringing that same energy to Richmond. To help get the girls ready for the season, the Commanders will host a clinic on March 22nd, where they will learn the fundamentals of flag football. This clinic is a great opportunity to learn from Commander legends and we encourage anyone interested to sign up to participate or volunteer and be part of this exciting event.

This new program comes as a direct response to feedback we received from participants of our Game On, Girl! program, where flag football is part of the curriculum. Many of these girls expressed a desire to continue playing flag football beyond just one week. With this in mind, we are excited to offer a more long-term option that will allow high school girls to continue developing their skills. Fit4Kids Program Coordinator, Jesse Cashin says “With physical activity rates declining for teens especially girls, we’re excited to bring this opportunity to Richmond empowering them to break barriers, build confidence, and embrace a life of physical activity and leadership”. 

At each participating school, teams will practice with their respective coaches, learning the fundamentals of flag football. The teams will compete against one another in a series of five games, officiated by referees. The season will culminate in a championship game at the University of Richmond in May, where we will celebrate the girls’ achievements.

In addition to the flag football program, we are expanding our athletic offerings across RPS. This past fall, we introduced coed soccer clubs at John Marshall High School to provide an athletic option at a school that didn’t previously offer soccer. The program was a success, with seven high schoolers participating, and we are excited to continue growing the program, including the addition of another soccer club at Thomas Jefferson High School.

As part of this expansion, we are also looking for a Part-Time Girls Flag Football Coach at Thomas Jefferson High School. If you are interested in making a positive impact on these young athletes, we encourage you to apply.

We are thrilled about the future of girls flag football in Richmond and the lasting impact this program will have on young athletes. We can’t wait to see these girls thrive and break new ground in the world of sports.