Palos Verdes Youth Football and Cheer (PVYFC) in Calif. has existed for more than 50 years, but the organization is still finding new ways expand and offer more opportunities for athletes to play America’s favorite sport. Palos Verdes launched a girls-only flag football program in 2023 and is preparing for significant growth in 2024 thanks, in part, to a Girls Flag Grant from USA Football.     

Palos Verdes Youth Football and Cheer offers a multitude of ways for young athletes to engage in athletics. The organization has tackle football and cheerleading programs and also offers co-ed flag football for athletes in first through eighth grade. The girls’ flag football program runs from third through eighth grade before feeding into Palos Verdes Peninsula High School and Palos Verdes High School.  

“It’s a great program. It’s been one of the joys of my life to start the flag league and see it through to this point,” said Holly Woesner, who led the development of the PVYFC flag football program as the Athletic Director of Flag Football from 2018 until she became the organization’s President in the fall of 2023.  

Woesner played a large role in restructuring the co-ed PVYFC flag program to help increase participation from 200 to roughly 300 athletes and foster local competition to decrease travel time for parents. She was also a driving force behind the launch of the girls’ flag program and remains closely involved in its operation.  

“I love the idea of a pathway for everyone to keep playing football, getting exercise and being on a team,” Woesner said. “Those are all good things for kids in terms of learning life skills and positioning them to be better adults.”  

PVYFC is hoping to have around 100 girls sign up for their fall season, and the grant from USA Football is helping to make that goal a reality.  

“The grant has given us the freedom to grow and not have to focus on fundraising or charging people more because we’ve had this support from USA Football that has allowed us to focus on what is important,” said Woesner. “I was blown over by what USA Football has done for us. I’m just so grateful to have that wealth of knowledge and support.”  

USA Football’s grant helped PVYFC get creative with its marketing to reach a larger audience and attract more potential participants. The grant also ensures PVYFC can keep costs low and make the program accessible to everyone in the community. Additionally, PVYFC received a wide array of brand new practice and game equipment.  

“We were able to keep our registration costs low so we can give more girls access to play and make sure everyone can afford it. We’re also still offering scholarships to assist families,” Woesner explained. “USA Football also provided a boat load of equipment for the girls. We got everything from sports bras to athletic ladders to little customized pinnies that say ‘Mavericks’ and look amazing. I can’t even believe this equipment that we have to work with next year. It’s incredible.” 

Woesner is also excited about the relationship PVYFC has with local Palos Verdes Peninsula High School and Palos Verdes High School, which both field varsity girls’ flag football teams. PVYFC, which recently hosted a clinic for its girls with Peninsula High School’s varsity team, hopes to establish a pipeline where the program trains girls to play flag football in elementary and middle school before they transition to high school.  

“Our goal is to prepare all of our kids for high school athletics, whether it be cheer or football, and to partner with the schools to support each other,” Woesner said. “We will advertise any kind of clinics our high schools do for football or cheer activities, and we encourage our kids to go watch their games. I’m really excited that we’re continuing to build on our relationships for the benefit of the girls.”  

Flag football, which is a sanctioned high school varsity sport for girls in California and ten other states, is exploding in popularity. Per USA Football research, the number of girls ages 6-12 playing flag football has increased 222% in the past decade. During the same time, there was a 44% increase in girls ages 6-17 playing the sport. 

“This is the time to jump on board and expose your kids to flag football,” Woesner reinforced. “It’s growing for both girls and boys, especially with its inclusion as an Olympic sport in 2028. I know USA Football fields the U.S. National Teams. That’s a neat opportunity for kids to dream about.”  

Flag football will make its debut as a men’s and women’s sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. USA Football’s U.S. National Teams will represent the country on the world’s stage. USA Football’s 15U and 17U Boys’ and Girls’ National Teams were in Los Angeles from July 9-12 this summer to face teams from Canada, Japan, Mexico and Panama in the third annual Junior International Cup.  

Flag football is also opening opportunities at the college level. Top high school girls flag football players can earn scholarships at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level and compete for a national championship.  

Programs and league leaders like PVYFC and Woesner are paving the way for young girls to enjoy football more than ever before and to take advantage of the exciting new opportunities flag football presents.