San Francisco 49ers hold 1-day girls flag football camp
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - In less than two weeks, the San Francisco 49ers are slated to open their pre-season training camp. However, on Friday their facility at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara was buzzing with football activity.
"I never got to play flag football. So I thought it would be like a good first experience," said flag football player Aditi Parsad.
The formations on the practice field were familiar; but the players, are all young women. Approximately 75 athletes are getting a crash course in flag football. It was part of a one-day camp put on by the San Francisco 49ers.
"California has just added varsity flag football for this year. And that is part of the movement which is girl’s flag football that is going on all over the country. It’s exploding," said program coach Jen Welter.
She is a tackle football player turned coach, who achieved greatness on the gridiron. On this day, she was putting the eighth through 12th grader students, who have little to no experience with this brand of football, through their paces.
"I was kind of nervous to come because I haven’t done this before. But I got here and I really liked it. I found a few people I’ve stuck with and it’s really fun. I’m really impressed with how it’s coached too. All the people here are great," said program participant and player Dana Giacomino.
The four-hour-long camp taught the basics of flag football – both offense and defense. It also gave the young ladies lessons and skills they can use for the rest of their lives.
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"You gotta find your own path. I never imagined it was possible for coaching to be my future," said Welter.
Her words of wisdom resonated with newcomers to this growing sport.
"I think it teaches us…to be more outgoing with people. And not to be afraid of what you want to do," said Parsad.
Some of the parents watching from the sidelines said they can see the positive effects of having their daughters participate in sports.
"Just seeing the progress that has been coming over the years. And watching our girls in sports and how it’s growing, and the leaders that we have here today working with our girls, it’s just so impressive," said Megan Giacomino.
So, man-up and now, woman-up: The new battle crew in the world of flag football increasingly comes with a much higher pitch, but with the same competitive edge.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Twitter, @JesseKTVU and on Instagram, @jessegontv