Students and community ask AVERILL PARK to add girls flag football in 2027; coaches volunteer to help fund and staff program

Students and community advocates urged the AVERILL PARK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT board to adopt girls flag football as a sanctioned high-school spring sport beginning in 2027, saying participation, college opportunities and community support have grown since the board last considered the topic.

Piper Journey (speaker 14), a high-school student and player, told the board that colleges and some national bodies are expanding scholarship opportunities for women’s flag football and that the sport’s growth merits a district program. “Women’s flag football will make their first debut in the 2028 Olympics,” Piper said, and asked the board to give local girls a pathway to compete and earn exposure.

Community speakers offered operational context and volunteer support. Seth Journey (speaker 6), a flag coach and parent, and other youth coaches described a pipeline of 37 girls in local Pop Warner and other feeder programs and offered to assist with grants and coaching. Travis White (speaker 1), who runs travel teams, estimated startup costs in the neighborhood of $10,000 and offered volunteer support for fundraising and organization.

Board members acknowledged past concerns about resources and scheduling; speakers noted that many girls interested in flag football do not currently displace athletes from other spring sports and that external grants (from organizations such as USA Football and NFL Flag) exist to offset startup costs. Multiple speakers requested the administration provide survey numbers and feasibility data to the board.

Ending: No formal action was taken at the meeting; advocates requested administration follow up with participation data and cost estimates ahead of future program discussions.