If there was a lesson to be learned from Taylor Swift’s impact on the 2023 NFL season, it was the opportunity that the NFL had in front of it. While it certainly was not the first time the league attempted to market toward women, it had never before had the kind of opportunity Swift presented them.
Whether you care for the broadcast cutaways or not, she’s good for the game.
Taking advantage of her gravity means doubling down on the league’s initiatives to get young girls watching, playing, and paying attention to football.
Oct 6, 2023; Watford, United Kingdom; Girls participate in a NFL Flag football event at The Grove Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Those efforts continued on March 7 when the New York Jets and Chicago Bears hosted an event to announce the expansion of the NFL Girls Flag Football League.
This league helps facilitate the league – Chicago overseeing one conference, New York the other – which is an all-girls competition in the United Kingdom. The winners of each conference will meet in a championship, and the championship team will be invited to the 2024 London Games.
Ealing Fields was the league’s first champion.
The event, preceding the second season’s kickoff on April 15, offered kids a chance to get acclimated to the game while enjoying non-football games, a media workshop, and Nike-sponsored team jerseys.
According to NFL.com, the league will see 260 participants and expand its regional ties from the 120 girls and single boroughs (Ealing) that it had last year.
“We are delighted to strengthen our commitment to the UK youth this year and expand the Girls Flag league,” the Jets said in a statement. “As a franchise, we are committed to growing female participation in sports at every opportunity. NFL Flag provides a sustainable way to achieve this while teaching young girls life lessons that will have an impact far beyond the football field.”
Football has taken over the American sports scene for decades, allowing millions to enjoy such an incredible game. Initiatives like these will attempt to ensure women won’t have to play catchup as the sport influences a growing number of nations.