The Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks teamed up this past weekend to host a series of free girls flag football camps in preparation for the state’s first-ever season of the sport.
Clinics were held at Castle and Pearl City high schools, drawing enthusiastic participation from student-athletes eager to be part of history. As part of the initiative, the Seahawks donated $30,000 to support the development of the sport in Hawai‘i.
For the athletes taking the field, the opportunity to be trailblazers in the sport is both exciting and meaningful.
“I think it’s really special. We’re making history,” said Liliana Mandaloniz of Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy. “It’s the first time we’re able to do this in Hawai‘i, and I think it’s going to be a really big thing.”
“We get to create our own future,” added her teammate Shaylee Buckley. “Nobody else really played flag football before, so we determine what happens next. There’s not really a big standard yet, which is good because we get to create our legacy.”
Kalani High School’s Lilyanne Florendo was excited to see the sport introduced in Hawai‘i after hearing about its popularity elsewhere.
“My friends on the mainland said it’s really fun, and I’m glad that Hawai‘i brought it here and made it an opportunity for us girls,” Florendo said.
For Kalani’s Nellie Stowers, the moment that she realized that the dream of playing competitive football would become reality, was surreal.
“When I heard they were making this a sport, I was kind of in shock,” she said. “I’ve always loved playing football, but I never expected to have the opportunity to actually play it as a high school sport. Now, girls have that opportunity—maybe even to play in college. I think that’s really, really amazing.”
Hawai‘i’s first-ever girls flag football season is set to begin in the coming weeks. While an official schedule has yet to be released, the inaugural state tournament is expected to take place in late April.