Packed with enticing clips and noteworthy segments, the Super Bowl broadcasts some of the most rewatched advertisements of the year. If you watched the 2025 game and paid close enough attention, you might have caught the NFL’s own “Flag 50”. The comical and purposeful two minutes pays tribute to the rise in women’s sports, nodding to a particularly recent spike in girls’ flag football.
In alignment with the nation’s growth, WA has registered its first girls’ flag football team for the 2025 spring season. The team was largely a result of junior Brooke Nielsen, who originally envisioned the team in 2023. After a series of start-up practices throughout the week of March 17, the pilot program aims to carve a foundation for the league’s 5v5 no-contact games.
“Personally, I think [flag football] is a great sport. [Creating the program is] important in high school, because most sports are hard to pick up for the first time, and there’s other people who have been playing their whole life. So this offers students a new opportunity,” Nielsen said. “I’m just really looking forward to this season. The turnout has been great and it’s been awesome seeing how excited everyone is to play football.”
The inspiration to start the program stemmed from Nielsen’s freshman year at Long Beach High School, where she first joined a flag football team. Her team accumulated 40 girls to compete in 7v7 games, demonstrating the resounding interest in the sport. When she transferred to WA during her sophomore year, Nielsen was steady in her mission to establish a team in Westford.
“It was really cool to me to see just how many girls wanted to play […],” Nielsen said. “I loved the coaches. I loved all my teammates. And even with 40 girls, it was a really tight team, which made it a fun thing to be a part of.”
This year, a proposal was brought to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association (MIAA) that would officially sanction Girls’ Flag Football as a state-sponsored sport during the spring season. However, the amendment was shot down 6-16, meaning teams aren’t given the same level of consideration at the high school level.
In response to the MIAA’s decision, the Patriots Foundation has continued to sponsor an eastern coast league. Gaining more support by the day, many communities are urging the MIAA to reconsider their stance and revote on the matter.
The Patriots’ Girls High School Flag program also provides participating schools with the resources they need to successfully compete, alleviating the financial burden of creating a team. Major organizations like Nike, USA Football, and the New England Patriots Foundation offer athletes donated grants for equipment, consultation, and other financial assistance. The only costs left to the schools are transportation and official fees, which will be covered at WA through the player payments.
“It’s just interesting to me [that the MIAA didn’t sanction girls’ flag football], because it’s just a great sport for female empowerment, teamwork, and collaboration,” Nielsen said. “And a lot of people have never played before high school, so everybody starts on the same playing field.”
In 2023, when Nielsen initially proposed the program to WA Athletics Director Jeff Bunyon, the Patriots League only had eight teams — part of the reason WA couldn’t effectively join. Since then, the brackets have been growing exponentially, with 24 teams in 2024 and over 40 teams in 2025. Now, flag football is deemed one of the fastest growing youth sports in the country.
After noting this expansive development, Nielsen and Bunyon took a leap of faith. With the 2025 deadline rapidly approaching to register teams to a league, the equipment was ordered and forms were sent out without a way of fully knowing how many girls would show up.
“The success of the program is going to lie with all of the participants. We want to make it serious. We want to really focus on this,” Bunyon said. “I saw the passion in Brooke’s eyes. I saw it in her language. She really wanted to make it work. I truly think we’re gonna have tremendous success.”
Nielsen now has a list of over 50 interested girls for the 5v5 games, with 23 players attending both their informational meeting and first practice.
“I had people emailing me and reaching out, but it was really nice to see there were 23 girls that showed up to the [informational] meeting showing their interest, plus people who emailed me [to inform me] that they couldn’t go,” Nielsen said. “So once I saw that there were really people who were interested, that was my moment where it was just like, ‘there’s gonna be a team.’”
Securing players but still missing a coach, the uncertainty continued. All until a mass text was sent to the WA Football coaches, catching offensive line coach Connor McLaughlin’s eye.
After a long career in football, starting in high school, McLaughlin picked up flag football in 2019. He enjoyed the sport so much that he competed in three World Tournaments hosted by USA Flag in Tampa. With his history and passion for flag football, McLaughlin was quick to jump at the opportunity to help WA’s new team.
“[Football] teaches many life lessons, [such as] teamwork, and holds you accountable. I think it saved my career and everything I’ve done in life since starting to play again in high school,” McLaughlin said. “I’m an advocate for the sport in general, boys and girls. I think it’s a huge opportunity, and it’s something that we should get involved in right away.”
Depending on their coach’s availability, WA Girls’ Flag Football plans to practice two to four times a week, in addition to a game once a week. They will be practicing on WA’s turf field and competing against neighboring towns based on a bracket that the Patriots League will create. Local schools including Lowell Catholic, Groton Dunstable, and Nashoba Tech also have flag teams.
Though the exact practice schedule hasn’t been ironed out yet, the team is enthusiastic to start learning. To kick off the season, the Ghosts are headed to Gillette Stadium on Saturday, March 22 to attend the Patriot League’s commencement ceremony. Their first game is anticipated to be within the following two weeks. For further updates on their season, the team plans to regularly post updates on Instagram @wa_flagfootball.
“My number one goal, as with any sport, is that I want kids to have fun. I want everyone participating to be safe. And I want them to have a valuable experience,” Bunyon said. “What valuable means is valuable in any way, whether they learn how to be a good teammate, learn how to deal with other opponents. […] Anything that would be of value to them is what my goals are for.”
Linda Robson-Lapi • Mar 22, 2025 at 10:31 am
“Way to go Brooke!” … This is an amazing accomplishment, So very happy for you & wishing you much success go forward with Flag football.. Go get em’ girl!
