Rosemount Football Coach Starts Girls Flag Football League

ROSEMOUNT, MN—Rosemount High School's head football coach has started a flag football league for middle and high school girls.

Jeff Erdmann said he wants to help girls step into traditionally men's sports.

Erdmann started a website to support his efforts called gogirlflagfootball.com. The website will help girls find a flag football team and set up games.

Erdmann told Patch the response so far has been a "whirlwind".

"I launched the website maybe eight days ago and have been trying to feel out how to market it," Erdmann said. "Somehow we've gotten contacted by with Kare11 and Star Tribune. It's been great and I think there's interest in wanting to see opportunities for people."

Erdmann said so far around 30 girls have signed up.

The girls have the option to sign up as a team of seven, or be placed on a team if they, or them and a friend want to play.

Erdmann told Patch he was inspired to start this league after seeing a female official at Rosemount High School's football team's first play-off game. He said it was the first time he's seen a female official at a high school football game in his 31 years of coaching.

"It was an eye-opener," Erdmann said.

Erdmann told Patch he was also inspired by watching the first female official at the Superbowl, and seeing women coaching NFL teams.

"I'm looking (at these women) and thinking 'this is awesome, what can be done to help?'" Erdmann said. "What can be done to help facilitate more opportunities for girls to learn about this in their younger years?"

Erdmann told Patch he thinks it would be great to have mothers assisting in youth football.

"A lot of places have difficulty finding people to be referees and assistant coaches, and realistically we have half our population that isn't really involved in that," Erdmann said. "I think football would benefit by bringing women into it."

Learn more about the flag football league.