Girls get a football league of their own at Boys & Girls Club

Players and coaches pose for a combined team photo after the championship game at the Menifee Boys & Girls Club. Menifee 24/7 photos by Doug Spoon

It was Ladies Night at the Boys & Girls Club of Menifee Valley on Dec. 17.

A new sports program at the club has given girls ages 10-13 their own flag football league. What began as sort of an experimental program resulted in four teams competing in a month-long season involving about 40 female members of the local Boys & Girls Club.

The club offers many sports leagues in its program, including basketball, soccer, baseball and wrestling. There is also a co-ed flag football program, but participation by girls was minimal.

"We had maybe six girls play in our co-ed league. They’re probably better than the boys, but the boys don’t like to give the ball to them," said Sam Handley, unit director for the club, who served as referee for the four-team playoff.

"We’ve done girls basketball before, but this is the first time we’ve done girls football. And we had a great turnout. I just recruited for it, and in probably two days, I had 20 girls. We thought we’d have two teams of five, but we ended up with almost 40 girls."

With support from the Los Angeles Rams -- who donated jerseys and gloves -- Menifee BGC offered a separate flag football program for girls, joining a growing trend throughout the country. According to John Whann, executive director of the club, national studies have shown that girls tend to drop out of sports when they reach their teenage years.

"Studies show that girls who continue to play sports are healthier and make better healthy habits," Whann said. "We know football is not your normal sport for girls. But we thought it would be a good idea to boost their self-esteem and give them a chance to play and have fun."

The 7 p.m. Dec. 17 championship game matched the winners of the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. games. After high-scoring contests in the first two games of the triple-header, the championship game ended 6-0, with "Josh's Rams" narrowly defeating "Tim's Rams" on a short pass and long sideline run for the only score.

Afterward, the players celebrated together and posed with the championship trophy. Parents weathered the cold night air to support their children.

Tamia Larry cheered on her 10-year-old daugher, Taniyah.

"She plays football with her brother at home," Tamia said about her daughter. "She told her dad she wanted to play. She enjoys going to practice and playing the games.

"Taniyah wants to play soccer next. She also does gymnastics and cheer. We try to keep them active."

"The girls really catch on fast," Whann said. "It came really naturally for a lot of the girls. They received instruction really well. There are a lot of beginners, but that’s what this program is for. We want to give them a chance to play and not be intimidated by the boys."

The current season lasted only four weeks, but Whann and Handley are planning another season to begin in February.