Above: A photo of a girl’s flag football uniform worn by members of the Fairmont High School’s New Club.
Fairmont – Several high school students at Fairmont are preparing to take part in the first season of girls’ flag football school. The new club is sponsored by the Minnesota Viking.
“There were probably eight teams that started this league last year.” said Matt Mahony, the district’s activities director. “Then I got an email in the fall saying that the Vikings were trying to promote Women’s Seven with seven flag football.”
Mahoney asked about the program and because of his expressed interest, the Vikings gave a $12,000 grant to launch the Fairmont program.
“Additionally, they’re also paying for every team to have 25 sets of uniforms.” Mahony said.
The uniforms are expected to arrive at the end of this month, along with seven boxes of equipment, including flags and belts. Other necessary materials include cleats and mouth guards.
Before rolling the ball, Mahoney sent out a Google form to gauge his interest and spoke to the school’s management team.
“They gave me the green light and thought that was a good idea.” Mahony said.
The first is nearly 30 girls from grades 9 to 12.
One of them is freshman Adriana Reading. She works in a variety of sports and activities, including gymnastics, volleyball, bands, student councils, and is excited to try something new.
“I’ve always wanted to do something with soccer. My family knows about soccer and I’m very familiar with it, so I’m excited to give it a try.” She said.
Girls Flag Football is Fairmont High School’s latest product, behind the unified Cardinals and Weightlifting Club, both of which have been added in recent years.
“There are a lot of activities aimed at kids. This is considered a club sport, so they can still be in any kind of spring sports. They can be in golf, track or softball.” Mahony said.
He said there were some unconventional practice times to make it work, and the game is scheduled for Sunday. There are eight games in total, with Fairmont High School hosting one on April 27th. The playoffs will take place in the first week of June, followed by a state tournament soon after.
Currently, the closest team to Fairmont is in Waterville. Mahony said the other two districts at the Big South Conference are interested in starting their own teams, but are not yet up and running.
Practice is scheduled to begin in April, with Mahoney himself coaching this first season.
“I threw multiple touches out there, but it’s football and I’m also the father of three girls, so it’s close to my heart. This is something I want to do the right thing and I have a long-lasting legacy here.” Mahony said.
Brad Johnson and Courtney Schellerman also helped coach, and Mahony said they welcomed anyone interested in reaching out to future coaching.
There is a lot of excitement in the first season, but Mahoney admits that there is a lot of unknowns because it is new. But he thinks it will not only work, but will grow quite a bit.
“The vision for this began with the Olympics. In 2028, this will be an Olympic sport. We hope that it will become a sponsored event through the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). Mahony said.
Now, those involved are looking forward to jumping into something new.
“It’s another opportunity for girls to excel in a sporting event where girls have not had the opportunity to play. There’s a lot of interest in soccer.” Mahony said.
