One year after navigating the challenges of creating and supporting a new Yelm girls flag football team, the program is navigating new challenges as it looks to find the funds needed to operate.
Due to Yelm Community Schools EP&O levy failure, the district could not support a girls flag football team at Yelm High School (YHS) this season. Total Sports Development (TSD), a local athletic training organization, is taking the program’s reins for the 2024-25 season and seeks funding to allow the 20 girls on the team an opportunity to compete against other 4A South Puget Sound League (SPSL) teams.
“It’s super exciting to have the opportunity for these girls”, TSD girls flag football coach Daniel Caldwell said. “Initially with the levy failure, we weren’t sure if we’d be able to have a Yelm girls flag football team. Luckily, through the support of TSD, we were able to get some girls together and get the league to buy into letting us take that spot to bring the opportunity to the Yelm girls. They’ve been super excited since last year. They’ve been asking us about it all through the end of football season, just waiting for an opportunity to get out here to start practicing again. I’m excited and they’re excited, and it’s really cool that we were able to pull it all together.”
Caldwell, a special teams and linebackers coach for YHS’s football team in the fall, said the program is still working on the financial aspect of running the program and looking for a way to make the activity affordable for everyone.
“That’s a hurdle we’re still dealing with, but we’re optimistic. We have the support of everybody involved so far,” Caldwell said. “Obviously with our levy failure, getting this sport up and off the ground is an extra hurdle that other schools aren’t having to deal with. On top of building a sport that’s new, we’re also doing it with a financial burden on our shoulders as well. I would say any opportunity to give back and support these girls, they’re going to be out there fundraising. They’re looking for sponsors as well as donors to try and make this happen.”
Those interested in donating to the TSD girls flag football program can visit https://shorturl.at/GV6Cp to purchase a “gold card.”
The team held tryouts on Nov. 20 and 21 and officially began practicing on Monday, Nov. 25. Caldwell said around 25 girls attended tryouts, but due to conflicting schedules of athletes the team will include 20 girls.
“It’s a new league. Last year we jumped into a different league as we were late to the party due to our high school football success. This year that wasn’t the case, and we’re jumping into the 4A SPSL league,” Caldwell said. “It’s a new league with new opponents, and we’re not exactly sure what that level of competition will look like. Based on where we were at this point in the season last year, I’d say we’re already far off better than we were then. We’re optimistic to be able to get out there and compete at the 4A level.
“I like who we have as a team. The goal is always to win a state championship in any sport we’re doing,” Caldwell continued. “I think if we can get in there, get a seat at the table in the playoffs and compete, we’ll be happy.
The TSD high school girls flag football team played its first game on Wednesday, Dec. 3, against the Bears of Olympia High School, but results were not available before press time.
Throughout the 2024-25 season, the team will play over 13 games against SPSL teams. Caldwell said keeping the girls healthy throughout the entirety of the season will be the staff’s top priority. The program will also include a JV team for the first time this season.
“We’ll play a lot of games this season. Health is always at the forefront of our minds. We dealt with some minor injuries last year with girls getting dinged up during the season. As much as they try to keep physicality out of the game, players collide and accidents happen,” Caldwell said. “Having a JV team stretches both teams a little bit thin. I think health is going to be our first concern with playing that many games.”
Caldwell, like many other coaches throughout Washington, hopes to see girls flag football become an official state-sanctioned sport. Earlier in the year, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) voted against sanctioning girls flag football.
“I’m not an expert in the politics behind why they voted it down,” Caldwell said. “To me, at our level, it doesn’t make any sense. The girls are out here and they just want to compete. They love what they’re doing. I don’t know why we would want to deny them the opportunity to do that. At the club level, to me it looks like it’s not losing steam. If anything, it’s picking up steam. I think it’s only a matter of time until [the WIAA] is forced to accept it as a sport.”
Caldwell, who has coached in the YHS football program for a decade, is thrilled to see girls at the high school have the opportunity to join in on the school’s recently rich football history.
“In Yelm, we’ve been a very prominent football figure as a school. Football has been huge for our community, but it’s been limited to the boys. We’ve had a few girls come through the high school football program but not really stick around,” Caldwell said. “It’s great to see a sport that they can get behind and join the success of the Yelm football culture. To give them a piece of that pie is fantastic. We can see the spirit growing and the excitement around the program. These girls are just as competitive as the boys are, and it’s exciting to give them an opportunity to do something in the football world.”
