The Chicago Bears and Britain’s first female coach in the NFL, Phoebe Schecter, today celebrated the success of the inaugural Chicago Bears NFL Girls Flag League in Manchester with a championship event.
Launched in April, the league saw 100 girls aged 12-14 take part in the first all girls competition of its kind in Manchester, designed to promote equity and access to sport for girls from all backgrounds in the North-West of England.
Following the launch of the league on the 24th April, the league saw schools from across the region compete in two conferences of five teams each (ten teams total) across five weeks. Today, the all teams took part in a championship event at Bolton School, with Wright Robinson College ultimately coming out as overall winners of the league.
Flag football is the non-contact format of American football that empowers young athletes, both boys and girls, around the world. The game is fun, exciting, and accessible for all, with women and girls driving some of the fastest growth in the sport.
Off the field the girls were greeted by cheerleaders and a dance crew, alongside a host of other fun activities including face painting and glitter. The girls received words of encouragement from NFL & IFAF Global Flag Ambassador Phoebe Shecter and were also cheered on by former Bears cornerback, Jerry Azumah, who presented the trophy to Wright Robinson.
The league is the next step in the Bears’ expansion in the United Kingdom, where they have marketing rights through the NFL’s Global Markets Program. Wright Robinson College will be special guests at the NFL game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the Bears play the Jacksonville Jaguars on 13 October 2024.
Now, with the inaugural league coming to a close, the Bears are already planning their growth ambitions for 2025 and beyond.
The Chicago Bears said: “Days like today are exactly why we kicked off this fantastic flag football league for these girls. The new league has provided young girls from all backgrounds in Manchester with an introduction to the sport. We are already looking forward to returning to the region and expanding the league next year.”
Phoebe Schecter said: “It has been wonderful observing the young girls grow over the last five weeks, both in terms of their prowess on the pitch and the community they’ve formed. They have developed skills and confidence across the competition, and today has been a perfect celebration of all the girls’ efforts.”
Steph-Ashton Smith, Wright Robinson College coach, said: “. It has been an amazing experience from start to finish. The girls have loved every minute of playing and the passion they have for this new sport is inspiring. We are so excited to go and watch the Bears down in London, the girls actually couldn’t believe it, another opportunity that they wouldn’t have usually had. We are so pleased we could take part in such a fantastic league and of course be lucky enough to win.’
The Bears previously visited Manchester in 2022 and 2023 as a leg on their Mini Monsters Tour which provides free youth coaching in NFL skills and drills for boys and girls between the ages of 7-12. Earlier this year as part of their continued efforts to increase their presence in the UK, the Bears again joined forces with the New York Jets in London to co-run the second year of the Jets & Bears NFL Girls Flag league.
The Bears’ UK Girls Flag program is run in partnership with Nike, the official partner for the Manchester league and other Bears flag campaigns.
To find out more about the inaugural Bears NFL Girls Flag League in Manchester and stay up to date on all Chicago Bears UK activity please visit, www.chicagobears.com and follow uk_chicagobears.
