Mar 15, 2025
ABOVE: A photo of the girls flag football uniforms that will be worn by members of Fairmont High School’s new club.
FAIRMONT– Several Fairmont High School girls are gearing up to take part in the school’s first season of gir’s flag football. The new club is sponsored by the Minnesota Vikings.
“Last year there were maybe eight teams that started this league,” said Mat Mahoney, the district’s Activities Director. “Then in the fall I got an email saying the Vikings are really trying to promote women’s seven on seven flag football.”
Mahoney inquired about the program and due to his expressed interest, the Vikings gave a $12,000 grant to get Fairmont’s program started.
“On top of that they’re also paying for every team to have 25 sets of uniforms,” Mahoney said.
The uniforms are expected to come in at the end of this month along with seven boxes of equipment including flags and belts. Other required materials include cleats and mouth guards.
Prior to getting the ball rolling, Mahoney did send out a Google form to gauge interest and he also talked to the school’s administration team.
“They gave me the green light and thought it would be a good idea,” Mahoney said.
To start, nearly 30 girls in grades 9 to 12 plan to participate.
One of them is freshman Adriana Leiding. She’s active in different sports and activities including gymnastics, volleyball, band and student council, but is excited to try something new.
“I’ve always wanted to do something with football. My family knows football and I’m familiar with it so I’m excited to try it out,” she said.
Girls flag football is the newest offering at Fairmont High School, behind Unified Cardinals and the weightlifting club, which were both added in recent years.
“We have so many activities for kids. This is going to be considered a club sport so they can still be in any kind of spring sport. They can be in golf or track or softball,” Mahoney said.
He said there may be some unconventional practice times to make it work and that games are scheduled for Sundays. In total there will be eight games and Fairmont High School will host one on April 27. Playoffs will happen in the first week of June with a state tournament taking place soon after.
Right now the nearest team to Fairmont is in Waterville. Mahoney said two other districts in the Big South Conference have shown interest in starting their own team but they’re not yet up and running.
Practice is set to start in April and Mahoney himself will coach this first season.
“I’ve thrown multiple feelers out there, but it’s close to my heart because it’s football and I’m also the dad of three girls. This is something I want to do right and have a long lasting legacy here,” Mahoney said.
Brad Johnson and Courtney Schoellerman will also help with coaching and Mahoney said he welcomes anyone who has an interest in coaching in the future to reach out.
While there’s a lot of excitement for the first season, Mahoney acknowledged that there are a lot of unknowns because it’s new. However, he thinks that it will not only do well, but grow considerably.
“The vision for this started with the Olympics. In 2028 this will be an Olympic sport and the hope is that this will become a sponsored event through the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL),” Mahoney said.
Right now, those involved are just looking forward to jumping into something new.
“It’s another opportunity for girls to excel in a sporting event they’ve never really had an opportunity to play in. There’s a lot of interest in football,” Mahoney said.
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