History Makers: Ireland's female Flag Football athletes
Female Flag Football is booming in Ireland. On International Women's Day, Michael McQuaid focuses on some of Ireland's flag football pioneers
The Irish American football scene has grown to new heights over the past eighteen months, with a serious amount of events, workshops and other elements that have taken place across the island, both North and South. With today being International Women’s Day, it seems like the correct time to look back on what has been a memorable year for female athletes who are involved in the sport at a grassroots level.
Worldwide, there has been a substantial increase in the participation of Flag Football. Female athletes constitute 25% of athletes playing the sport. Last year alone, nearly half a million girls between ages 6 and 17 played flag football around the world, which was a 63% increase over the last five years. Three athletes who play flag football on the island of Ireland include Jenny Kavanagh, Helen Smyth and Megan Howe, who are part of the Irish Wolfhounds Flag Football team, the national team across the island. Just last summer, they took part in the European Flag Football Championships for the first time when they were held in Limerick - fitting that it was so close to home.
From Antrim to the European Championships
Image: Charisse Mae Ducao
For Helen Smyth, playing Flag Football has allowed her to build on her leadership skills. Working in Antrim, Smyth has been playing football for seven years. “For the first five to six years, I only played defense, mainly at the linebacker or strong safety position and it wasn't until about a year or so ago that I started to play at quarterback when we knew we wanted to enter a women's team in the European Championships in Limerick,” Smyth said. “I enjoy being a leader on the field and it's been amazing to see the chemistry that I've been able to build with my teammates. I love getting into the nitty gritty of improving my mechanics and seeing the progress I've made in a relatively short period of time is great.”
For Helen, the We Run The World tournament which takes place this weekend in Dublin is a testament to the growth of female participation in the sport in Ireland. “I just can't believe how much female participation in this sport has increased over the last year,” she said. “Until June last year I had never played a competitive game with another female player on my team and last year, we only had six female athletes down at a training session - and now, we have a group of twenty - with more and more players coming through!”
Basketball to Flag Football
Image: Charisse Mae Ducao
Jenny Kavanagh is no newcomer to sport, with a basketball background prior to playing Flag Football. Jenny got into the sport through a friend, who encouraged her to give Flag Football a go - something that she has excelled at. As a defensive captain of the Irish Wolfhounds, Jenny is focused on her role with the team - and being a role model for young girls. “It’s a real honour to captain the first ever women’s Irish team. I absolutely love it. My family came down to the European Championships in Limerick and my goddaughter ran through the ropes after a game to run over to me - she didn’t care about the rules - the sport is a role model for her and I think it’s something that we didn’t all necessarily grow up with and seeing many female athletes for her to look up to, I hope that inspires her to go on and play sport and try the best at everything that she does.”
For Jenny, it is a great time to be part of the sport. “There is an excitement there and the attitude towards females in the sport is like nothing else” she said. “The development in the sport is like nothing i’ve ever experienced - the culture across each team is so welcoming - and it’s really fun as well.”
A ‘surreal experience’
Image: Charisse Mae Ducao
Megan Howe got into Flag Football through Jenny, who reached out to different basketball teams in the Dublin area - looking to see if any female athletes were interested in joining the sport. “I went down to a South Dublin Panthers training session and loved it. The team was so welcoming and they just made the sport so much fun,” she said. “I would definitely say flag football is one of the best sports for females to join at the minute. It’s an extremely inclusive sport with mixed teams playing all over the country. To support from the male athletes during our first ever female flag football game in the sports campus was unbelievable. There’s a fantastic balance between the social aspect as well as the competitive aspect if that’s what you’re there for.”
It’s one thing talking about the European Championship that took place in Ireland last year - but what did it actually mean for someone that took part in it? For Megan, it was a moment to remember. “I was terrified for the first few days”, she said. “Once the nerves settled more, we trained and played and progressed. It was a very surreal experience. I had only joined the squad a couple of weeks before the tournament, so it was straight into the deep end! - It was extremely special to be a part of the whole experience, and seeing how much it meant to some of the girls who had been there since the very beginning, like Hannah, Helen, Jenny and Kelly, back when there wasn’t even a full squad, and the girls were grinding it out to ensure there was a team that got there.”
Future Steps
So, what is next for the female Irish Wolfhounds? The hope is for the team to take part in the IFAF Flag Football World Championship, which is at the end of August this year. For Helen, support for the game is key as it continues to grow. “One of the challenges at the moment is the lack of funding for the national team. We want to go to the World Championships this August, but there is a chance that we might not be able to afford to go - so we are looking at fundraising. As players and coaches, we are already so passionate about this sport and we want to continue to drive this forward and be the kind of pioneers that we want to be for everyone.”
I have seen first hand what the sport means to these athletes and the other players on the teams - both at the European Flag Football Championships in Limerick and at a live event in Belfast last year. My analysis?
The future is bright for female participation in Flag Football.