Liam Flenniken
First-year Rayleen De La Virgen bolts up the sideline past a defender.
California Lutheran University hosted its inaugural women’s flag football tournament on Friday, March 28.
Currently designated as a club team with junior varsity and varsity teams, it is expected to become an official intercollegiate team by Spring 2027, according to Athletic Director Howard Davis.
Flag football teams from other universities came to Cal Lutheran to play in an eight-team tournament hosted by the university.
Davis said an email was sent to every female student at Cal Lutheran to field interest in the new sport.
“We hired a coach to take over the program and so he’s been working with the girls that expressed interest. We sent a survey out to all the current female students at Cal Lu which generated quite a lot of interest,” Davis said.
Davis said that by the time women’s flag football becomes an official intercollegiate sport, much of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will have followed suit.
Davis said the big difference between club teams and intercollegiate teams is the allocation of resources, and that soon, women’s flag football will have a lot more opportunities to recruit and overall extra funding.
“We’re doing some recruiting for intercollegiate as well, and we hope to add some new students that are coming here strictly, well, besides academics, of course, but to participate in our women’s flag football program,” Davis said.
Davis said he feels the opportunity to get in on the fast-rising sport is really important, and that he gets messages almost daily that other schools are adding women’s flag football.
“Oh, it’s really, really important, obviously. You know, we want to offer as many opportunities to our male and female students as possible, and this is a hugely emerging sport in our area at the high school level, and throughout the state at the high school level,” Davis said. “It’s really catching on fire and it’s been a huge sport in the Conejo Valley for probably three years now, and it’s spreading everywhere throughout Southern California.”
Junior varsity running back and strong safety Lala Alexander has been a competitive dancer since she was young and ran track in high school, but said she was eager for a new athletic challenge in flag football.
“Just the ability to be able to come and meet new people and also do something that I’ve never done,” Alexander said. “So it’s a little scary, but I think having these girls with me, it just makes it so much better.”
Alexander said the team has given her an opportunity to befriend and grow close to a group of people she wouldn’t have talked to otherwise.
“It’s about collaborating with the girls. These are girls that I don’t really know, I wouldn’t really, you know, stop and talk to during the day,” Alexander said. “I think I’m learning how to just connect with others, not only on the field, but off the field, when people are hurt, people are going through things. Just also pumping them up and, like, learning what they need to be able to play an efficient game.”
Varsity wide receiver and linebacker Lucy Cassell said she feels a sense of pride and responsibility being on the inaugural team, and that she is grateful it is an opportunity to get more women involved in football.
“It’s so exciting. I love that. It empowers women across the West Coast right now, obviously it’s getting to the east coast, but I love the aspect of it. I mean, football has never been a female sport, and now it is. So that’s super exciting,” Cassell said.
Cassell said she “loves the camaraderie” she has been able to develop with the team.
“I love just, like, being able to be there for each other. It’s crazy that we all went to the same school, but we all did not know each other,” Cassell said. “I love supporting each other when we’re down, and when we need help, on the field and off the field. I love that aspect of it.”