EARLY ON A SATURDAY MORNING late last year, a group of girls met at Freedom High School’s football field in Oakley to showcase their athletic skills.
The football tryout attracted more than 100 girls, aged 10-17, who showed 15 coaches they have what it takes to join the East County Elite girls flag football team.
That’s right — flag football.
“At first, I didn’t really want to take this more serious … but as soon as I started playing, I felt like a spark,” team captain Khloe Cabral said. “And I felt like super, like, I love this spark.”
Angelina Peña said she attended the tryouts to support her flag football coach at Deer Valley High School in Antioch.
“So yeah, he wanted me to play, and I’ve gotten some college offers,” said the 12th grader. “I got a college offer already from him, so I just want to continue with him.”
Cabral and Peña are two of more than 64 young women who made one of the two high school or the middle school teams and will play through June when the 2026 season ends.
East County Elite director and head coach Jose Sanchez said the tryout and showcase event was designed to bring together athletes from across East Contra Costa County and “highlight the explosive growth of girls flag football — one of the fastest-emerging sports in the nation.”
And Sanchez is not exaggerating. According to the sportswear company Under Armour, around 500,000 girls between the ages of 6 and 17 played flag football in the U.S., and the sport is played by 20 million people in more than 200 countries.
A banner moment for the sport
Flag football participation is expected to pass regular football participation soon, according to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). And NFL Flag reports high school girls’ participation rose 105% from 2022-23 to 2023-24. There were even promotions during Super Bowl 60 showing women playing the sport that was once only popular with boys and young men.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reportedly has 65 women’s teams that play flag football either as a club or varsity sport, and that number is expected to increase this year.
Sanchez said the East County Elite club is “built around the concept of the whole athlete — developing young women through coaching, academic support and community engagement.”
During tryouts, former NFL athletes, coaches and sports mentors took part in the drills, skill work, and a game that all participants took part in. And along with the three club teams, Elite has a “development roster” of 30 7th and 8th graders who play on the practice squad, preparing them for future, official play.
The East County Elite goes beyond the field. Sanchez said he hopes what the young women learn on the gridiron, and what the fans experience, carries out to the community. This means the team pulling together for things like academic support, study hall sessions, and bonding with one another. He said his goals also include working with nonprofits throughout Northern California and hosting monthly events “where we’re going to be able to actually dive in and help our community.”
Teaching skills on and off the field
Julio Magana — Elite’s middle school coach and academic success director — and guest coach Mary Lee — who plays offense for the Golden State Storm professional women’s flag football team — stress the sense of community that the football program promotes. Like Sanchez, both said working with the young ladies goes beyond the field.
“I think people should join this program because it’s the name of the program — East County Elite,” Magana said. “But Elite is more than just being a great athlete. It’s about being a good student. It’s about being a good leader.”
“We’re really interested in empowering young athletes and especially wanting to be able to reach their fullest potential,” Lee said. “And not only is this all about football and physical activity and winning, it’s also about developing young leaders into the future. So this program is about setting them up for success and what to do outside the program.”
“Our goal is to convert this to a complete community-driven program that gives girls that wouldn’t have the ability to play travel sports, play travel sports,” Sanchez said. “We’re creating a culture where competition meets character and every player learns to lead.”
Learn more about this year’s Elite team, its players, game schedule, and more at instagram.com/eastcountyelite.
Jonathan Abisai Martinez is a 10th grader at Deer Valley High School in Antioch and a CCYJ reporter. This story originally appeared in CCSpin.