The Los Angeles Rams recently hosted a girl’s flag football clinic at Serra High School. Players from the Los Angeles Legends Sports Organization guided youth through throwing, running, and catching drills.
“We’re supporting the L.A. Rams with expanding and growing the notoriety for girl’s flag,” said L.A. Legends and Serra flag football head coach Monique Adams. “We’re out here supporting to run their camp to show representation to show how well girls can ball.”
Earlier this year, girl’s flag football was sanctioned as a sport in the CIF Southern Section and the Rams want to help raise awareness of the sport as well as provide resources to girl’s flag football teams. For the clinic, the Rams provided headbands, wristbands, arm sleeves, and gloves.
“We want to come out here and allow girls the opportunity to learn the game, also lean on our partners, Gatorade, Nike, who will support us in gear and giveaways,” said Rams social justice and football development coordinator Noel Grigsby. “Just show these girls how much they matter … how we’re going to be with them every step of the way as they take this journey to be the first in their family, the first in California to play girl’s flag football.”
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Participants were divided into groups and rotated through different drill stations. The Youth did wide receiver drills that taught them route running and throwing along with linebacker drills where they had to run over low hurdles.
Adams led quarterback drills, teaching young girls how to move their feet and swiftly throw the ball. The youth also competed in seven-on-sevens. Lawndale high school freshman Zhaire Delery Thomas learned different types of workouts and routes from the clinic.
“We went over a few run routes, slants … and post routes,” Thomas said. “It’s not always about winning, sometimes it’s about having fun.”
After the clinic, the youth participated in a panel discussion that consisted of women with various sports-related jobs. Among the panelists were Rams football affairs coordinator Casey Africano and legendary football official Crystal Nichols.
Nichols was the head referee of the all-Black female officiating crew for the Maywood ECS vs Marquez football game last year.
“I am a pioneer woman official, the only woman to referee international men and women and was drafted by the NFL in 2012,” Nichols said. “Flag football is a very important thing because a woman needs to belong to some type of sports and I think this is excellent for them.”
Nike was a sponsor for the event and provided duffle bags, shorts and shirts that stated “We Are FootbALL” to participants. Gatorade provided youth with towels, bags, squeeze bottles, and hydration products.
