She’s a Baller Flag Football Tournament Showcases Future Olympians at U.S. Olympic Training Center

Top high school athletes from across the U.S. and Mexico competed in the “Battle of the States,” where scholarships, Olympic dreams, and family pride took center stage

Some of the athletes who competed in the She's a Baller Flag Football Classic in California. / Deb Whitcas

Best of the Best in Girls Flag Football Compete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center at the She's A Baller: Battle of the States Tournament

The She’s a Baller: Battle of the States Girls Flag Football Tournament and Combine, presented by Cymbotika, Gamebreaker and the LA Chargers, took place June 6-8. The event, co-founded by Cory Liuget, retired NFL player for the LA Chargers and Antwon Chaney, founder of West Express Ladies Flag Football, made a powerful statement at the prestigious U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. With top-tier talent, international representation, and a mission rooted in empowerment, the three-day event drew athletes, families, college recruiters, and advocates of women’s sports from across the U.S. and Mexico.

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NFHS releases first set of rules on girls high school flag football, the nation's fastest-growing sport

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History of the Game

Women’s flag football debuted in 1974 with the first sanctioned flag football tournament taking place in Ohio.  In 1995, the National Women’s Flag Football Association (NWFFA) was founded; however, it has been within the last five years that the sport has seen the most growth. In 2020, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA,) in partnership with the NFL, added female flag football as a collegiate varsity sport, with the National Junior College Athletic Association following suit in 2022. Women’s flag football is now recognized as one of the fastest-growing sports, according to the Florida High School Athletic Association. Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles with many of the female athletes participating in the She’s a Baller tournament seeking a spot on the Team USA roster.

Girls Flag Football as 2028 Olympic Sport

“At the end of the day, every girl's dream is to play in the Olympics,” said co-founder Chaney. He continued, “How can we put them in a platform and have them experience this environment before the Olympics?  We just selected some of the best coaches in each state and wanted these coaches to go out just say what girls in your state do you feel in your heart that deserve this opportunity? (…) The top (high school) juniors and seniors and the structure of it was just amazing. We just wanted to try to hit on all cylinders how we can just give these young ladies a chance.”

He continued, “We had over 300 girls between our ‘Combine’ platform and the ‘Battle of the States platform-they got momentum (…) they're not looking back from here so hopefully they press the gas and if they make it to the Olympics and if they get that, I'm more than happy for them.

Female Football Trailblazer Leads the Way

The She’s a Baller: Battle of the States tournament was honored to welcome Dr. Jen Welter as its Honorary Ambassador. As the first female NFL coach and a lifelong champion for women in football, Dr. Welter delivered inspiring messages to athletes and parents, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, confidence, and breaking barriers. She also led skill clinics, posed for photos, and spent time mentoring players throughout the weekend.

Dr. Jen Walter, the Honorary Ambassador for the She's a Baller: Battle of the Stars girls flag football tournament, displays the event trophy. / Deb Whitcas

“This event isn’t just about flag football,” Dr. Welter said. “It’s about showing these young women that they belong on the field, in leadership, and in life. They are the future of the game.”

These Girls Are Balling

Throughout the three-day tournament, the athletes showcased exceptional skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The competition brought together elite high school girls' flag football teams representing Mexico, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Washington State, and California. The tournament format featured pool play leading into a bracketed championship round, creating thrilling matchups and standout performances. There were also two Combines. The first was the elite battle girls on Friday led by Dusty Anfuso, with The Athletic Culture in San Diego who trains several NFL athletes year-round and at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.  They were tested in speed, agility, vertical jump and more! On Saturday, the community combine consisted of girls ages 8-18 perfecting their skills on the field from throwing, running, agility, and flag pulling. 

The participants were also tested by Zybek, a high-precision athletic performance measurement equipment that uses fully automated laser timing systems. This equipment is also used in professional sports, like the NFL Combine. 

Coach Anthony Stone, who has extensive experience coaching football at the youth and high school levels, oversaw the She’s a Baller Combine on Saturday.

“We did a variety of skills, drills & flag pulling, and then had the juniors and seniors scrimmage for the college coaches in attendance.” said Stone.

College Scouts Take Notice

The visibility and caliber of play drew representatives from over 8 colleges and universities who were looking to build their college rosters.  In attendance were Aaron Richardson and Caitlin Shannon, Head Coach and Assistant Head Coach respectively of Graceland University in Lamont, Iowa, Tatum Springer the Head Coach of the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA,  Joe Schlager the Head Coach at Wingate University in Wingate, NC, and Mike Brown, the Head Coach for Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC, among others.

When asked what the coaches looked for in a recruit, answers varied…

 “A player that gives effort.” Coach Richardson said, “Character is huge for us that's what we look for in our players first and foremost because character translates to everything.” Assistant Coach Shannon continued, “We like the people that are always trying to improve (…) you can always push harder learn more, and get better so we look for the people that strive to push those boundaries and exceed what goals they have put out for themselves”

Coach Springer commented, “The main thing I'm looking for, superstars are great right, but you have to have the grades and the good attitude and everything else that comes with it, so we're trying to find well-rounded young women that are ready to compete but also understand that their academics and life after flag football is just as important as the four years you're investing time into and ensuring that we find women that we can help set up to be successful down the line and girls who are coachable.  The main thing is that I want someone who wants to learn from me and who wants to listen and who wants to grow”

“I’m looking for versatility, eagerness, desire to play the game - you know the passion and the love for it.”, Coach Schlager said. He continued,”The different states, you know it's a really unique event. People who could come in and play in this type of environment and this type of event with people who aren't their normal teams, typically they can do the same thing in college and so you look for people who can interact and communicate on the field and then they have a knack and a real love for it.”

Football Is Family

Coach Brown’s attendance at the Tournament was two-fold. Not only was he recruiting athletes for his roster at Lees McRae University, but his daughter Grace was also competing.

“Being here to tech scout as a coach at the collegiate level and then have the opportunity for her (Grace) to play on the field it's pretty special.  This is our first trip that we've been able to do that.” Brown said. He continued, “Three years ago we're headed to Disney World and were listening to the NFL draft and Grace was about 7 years old and she looked at me she goes, I think I want to play tackle football- so her first experience into playing the game with tackle football so she got to play with the boys and now you know fast forward four or five years later she gets the opportunity to play in an all-girls sport in flag football that gets to highlight and gets to show your skills is pretty awesome.”

Coach Brown’s daughter, Grace Brown was thankful to have her father’s support at the tournament, she said “he's always here he likes to talk and he likes to make connections and I admire that very much and I like seeing him work and like talk to people and connect I aspire to be him and be friendly to everyone and they make people feel special”

Also, Jeff Garcia, former NFL Quarterback and four-time Pro-Bowler was also in attendance at the tournament to root on his daughter Presley, who is a standout wide receiver and played for the runner-up California Pink Senior Elite team. When asked how he felt about his daughter following in his footsteps he commented, “It's awesome actually.” He continued, “She loves playing the game of football. She's been playing since she was about 6 years old and at that time it was mostly with the boys, now to see the game developed (…)and to be able to play high school flag football and now looking at the college opportunity for her and being here with the Battle of States, I mean, it's just as a father it's like a dream come true in a sense for me to watch my daughter and love a game that I grew up loving and gave me so much opportunity.”

Former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia, watches the action with Dr. Jen Welter. Garcia's daughter Presley was the quarterback for the California Rising Juniors team. / Deb Whitcas

His daughter, Presley Garcia, shared her dad’s sentiment about the love of the game.

“I started playing flag football mainly because of my dad. He was in the NFL so it was just like runs in my family” she said. She continued, “ I think it really inspired me and I've always wanted to grow up like similar to him.”

 “I think one of the things I love about flag football is you know it used to be that football was a father-son thing and now it's increasingly become becoming like a daddy-daughter thing,” said Dr. Welter of the father’s and daughter’s experiences at the tournament.

Winners Revealed, Scholarships Awarded for the Future of Flag Football

Dr. Welter, who is also the Founder of Grrridiron Girls flag football camps, had the privilege of handing out the trophies to the winning teams and had a full-circle moment when one of her former camp athletes, Rakyia Louis, quarterback for the Florida Senior team and the 2025  Miami-Dade County Flag Football Player of the Year, led her team to victory.

Florida Senior team star quarterback Rakyia Louis, as a child, participating in Dr. Jen Walter's Grrridiron camp. / Deb Whitcas

“In 2019, six years ago, I got to meet you and you were a tiny thing, ten or eleven, and now look at you, ‘The Battle of the States’ winner.” Welter said talking to Lewis.  Welter continued, “It’s everything that I would hope for Grrridiron Girls, seeing you go from a little b  to out here now Balling”

In the end, Team Florida swept the Rising Junior and Senior Championship Games on Sunday.  Coached by James O'Brian, Dan Kauffman, and Travis Combs, both teams dominated their games on Saturday to reach the championship games and take home the “She’s a Baller” football trophies. At the time of this article, twelve players received scholarship offers from Lees-McRae University.  Additional offers are expected in the coming weeks as recruitment evaluations continue.

From competitive matchups to community-building moments, She’s a Baller: Battle of the States delivered on its promise: to empower the next generation of female athletes, one play at a time.

Organizers have already begun planning for the 2026 edition of Battle of the States, with plans to expand to more regions, welcome additional international teams, and further strengthen college recruiting ties.