As we get into the heart of the NFL playoffs – Go JETS! – we wanted to highlight two football-related stories, neither of which includes anyone you will see on the field, at least not yet.

From Sports Illustrated, The Girls of Old Florida, is a photo and video essay on the flag football league at the Univ. of Florida. In this just over 4 minute piece, you will get great quotes and visuals of these young ladies competing hard in a sport they obviously enjoy.

And it seems, that the NFL and youth sports proponents are not waiting until these young ladies get to college to expose them to the fun of the game. To learn more about what is happening with grade school participants in New York, please check out Adam Bloch’s piece, “Girls on the Gridiron” here, with excerpts below.

(Excerpts)

Girls on the Gridiron

NFL assists with new push to bring flag football to city middle schools

By Adam Bloch, December 3, 2009

Good teams need unanimity of purpose. Members of the girls’ flag football team from the Anderson School, West Prep Academy and the Computer School share unanimity of thought when it comes to their chosen sport.
“It’s awesome,” more than a dozen of them yelled at a shrill decibel level when asked if they liked flag football last week.

With 13 other middle school teams from across New York City, they were gathered at John F. Kennedy High School in Marble Hill in The Bronx for the “Thanksgiving Classic” tournament. The event was part of a new initiative launched by the NFL Girls’ Flag Football Leadership Program and the C.H.A.M.P.S. Program to introduce the sport to middle schools in all five boroughs.

…

The NFL and the Jets helped out with more than just informal coaching and organization. The Jets also presented a $50,000 donation to C.H.A.M.P.S. (Cooperative, Healthy, Active, Motivated and Positive Students), a sports program that provides after-school games and activities for middle schools around New York.

“We provide an opportunity for middle school students to engage in physical activity,” said Ron Gonzalez of C.H.A.M.P.S. “We do traditional activities like football, basketball and soccer. We also have some non-traditional activities like tai chi, martial arts and crew. The gist of the program is just getting kids moving in whatever it is they like to do.”

(The article continues here)