Ogden City Recreation announced this week that it will field its inaugural girls flag football league, marking a milestone for youth sports in Northern Utah. The effort is being carried out in partnership with Ben Lomond High School and the Las Vegas Raiders, who will help provide coaching resources and promotional support.
The league will field roughly sixteen teams spread across four grade levels, offering an eight‑game schedule that culminates in mid‑October. A skills camp scheduled for Friday night will give participants a chance to learn the fundamentals from varsity players and coaches, covering the Xs and Os behind the Raiders’ favorite plays.
The initiative taps into a national surge in girls flag football, a sport that has seen half a million youngsters aged six to seventeen sign up in recent years. Organizers say the new program is designed to build on that momentum and give more girls in Utah a pathway to compete.
Community Impact and Future Plans
Beyond the immediate season, program leaders hope the league will serve as a model for expanding the sport at the high school level. Ty Smith, a local advocate for girls’ athletics, has voiced interest in seeing flag football adopted by Utah’s high schools, a move that could further cement the game’s place in the state’s sporting landscape.
The expansion also aligns with efforts by the Utah High School Girls Football Association, which last season featured ten different high school programs across the state. With more than twenty states — including Arizona, Colorado and Nevada — having officially sanctioned girls flag football, Utah’s new league joins a growing regional network.
Looking Ahead
As the first Friday night clinic gets underway, coaches say the blend of instruction and competition is already sparking enthusiasm among players and families alike. If the pilot proves successful, organizers plan to broaden the program in coming years, potentially adding more age divisions and outreach initiatives.