CMS Girls Flag Football is back for Year 2, and final will be at Bank of America Stadium
The Carolina Panthers and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will partner for a second season of girls flag football, beginning Saturday.
After a successful launch of the new sport last spring, 24 high school teams will participate in a preseason jamboree at Olympic High School on Saturday at 9 a.m. Regular-season play begins March 18, and the league championship tournament will be played May 13 at Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Panthers.
Chambers High School won the inaugural championship last season.
“The Carolina Panthers are thrilled to again partner with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Athletics in for the second season of the CMS girls high school flag football league,” Panthers Director of Community Relations Riley Fields said in a news release. “The league provides increased participation opportunities and access to the sport of football for high school girls, and we are hopeful this effort will also be a catalyst for sanctioning Girls High School Flag Football as a varsity sport (statewide) in the future.”
This season, Carolina Panthers Charities is providing $60,000 in program funding plus custom Nike team uniforms and other school resources to support the league.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is the first school system to offer a district-wide league in North Carolina. By next fall, the fast-growing sport is expected to be sanctioned in eight states.
“For Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, girls flag football has not only created a fun and energetic environment, but it has also created an additional pathway to college,” said CMS athletic director Ericia Turner. “The inaugural season in 2022 proved to be very impactful in surprising ways, including the fact we had one player receive a scholarship offer to play at the collegiate level. As we prepare to kickoff Year 2...I am excited and expecting this year to be even greater. The sport is growing so fast as many states are petitioning to make Flag Football a sanctioned sport. We are doing our small part to make that a reality in North Carolina.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 10:01 AM.
