WOMEN’S FLAG FOOTBALL REACHES GUAM

ISLAND TERRITORY IS FIRST IN PACIFIC ASIAN REGION TO JOIN KEY WEST- BASED LEAGUE

Diane Beruldsen, president and founder of the International Women Flag Football Association (IWFFA), was in Guam March 10-20 to coach Chamorro women, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands and Guam, as well as military women, in 8 on 8, semi-blocking flag football for their newly formed female league, Flag Football Ladies Association of Guam (FFLAG).

Four teams of women, over 100 players and a team of female officials will receive training in IWFFA-style flag football, which includes: field goals, punting, kickoffs, fake kicks, blocking from shoulder to waist, rushing from the scrimmage line, 10 yards to gain first down.

“IWFFA flag football rules are the closest set of flag football rules to NFL rules, but there are no helmets nor shoulder pads, no tackling, no fumbles and we develop the female style of play, which is focused on finesse and strategy vs. brute strength,” Beruldsen said.

Guam is the first country in the Pacific Asia region to fall under the IWFFA umbrella, and the sanctioned FFLAG league members have some huge tasks in front of them.

“The first year the women learn to play by IWFFA rules, the second year each women’s team will coach a girls’ flag football team,” Beruldsen said. “We want young girls to see the women in leadership positions, to know they too can be a coach and leader when they get older. And the girls will play for free. Ages 8-11 will be sponsored by the IWFFA as well as local businesses.

We are a women’s organization that strives to empower females all over the world putting women in leadership positions. We are a unity of women all over the world in almost two dozen countries: Norway, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jamaica, Morocco, USA (and Puerto Rico), Guam, Canada and Mexico,” Beruldsen added.

The organization is involved with more than flag football games.

Recently, the IWFFA was successful in getting asylum for 70 female Afghanistan players and their families to Mexico after the Taliban took over their country, by recruiting the legal forces of: Aldea Law Firm and Greenberg Traurig. The first group of 37 Afghans arrived safely to Mexico City on Nov. 16, 2022, as the work of the IWFFA continues to raise money to fly the second group of Afghans to Mexico.

Linda Salas, founding mother of FFLAG, contacted the IWFFA wanting Guam women to become sanctioned. Originally, FFLAG stemmed from the Guam Women’s Tackle Football League (GWTFL), which disbanded as a result of COVID as well as corruption in the Women’s Football League Association.

“In searching for a sanctioning body, there were three organizations I was interested in joining; however, it was the IWFFA who I saw treated the women very nice,” Salas explained. “They produce a women’s flag football magazine, which is all about the women and girls, and they send out a monthly flag football news, which was informative, and the IWFFA looked very supportive of all their women.”

Following a week of training, the first IWFFA-Guam Friendship Games, hosted by FFLAG, were played on March 19 at the University of Guam.

An all-star team from Guam has been invited to compete and represent Guam in the 32nd annual Kelly McGillis Classic International Female Flag Football Championship in Key West in January 2024. The league is looking for sponsors to be a part of the FFLAG travel team.

For more information, visit IWFFA.com.

Women wanting to join the new Guam team as a player, coach or official can contact League President Linda Salas at 671-788-3856. Businesses or individuals wanting to sponsor the Flag Football Ladies Association of Guam can contact Linda Salas at 671-788-3856.

— Contributed