Wednesday is National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
For the Philadelphia Eagles, it's a chance to announce a major expansion of the team's commitment to getting girls in the game. And, NBC10 was first to share exclusive details.
From its very first day, the flag football league for girls founded by the Eagles has been a hit.
Launched in 2022, the Eagles Girls Flag Football league began with 16 teams. Now, the Birds are announcing their league has expanded to 96 teams -- a nearly 600% increase in just two years’ time.
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"It's really for us just about making sure that everyone has access to play," Eagles Youth football community relations manager Dan Levy said. "Just excited to get all these girls on the field and see these leaders."
Championship games are held at the Eagles’ NovaCare Complex. Kickoff to start each season is held on the grass at Lincoln Financial Field itself.
We here at NBC10 have seen these games up close. And, the impact of this league on area girls is undeniable.
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"It feels amazing," Abington flag football QB Maya Johnson said. "I feel like I'm a part of the Eagles... they give us this opportunity to play on the field."
But, that’s just half of the Eagles announcement.
This past summer, star quarterback Jalen Hurts and U.S. soccer legend Carli Lloyd headlined the announcement of the Eagles Fly Forward (FLY:FWD) initiative. It’s a plan to provide 30,000 sports bras so girls who need the essential sports equipment to play.
Tuesday, the Birds are announcing that total of sports bra donations is doubling to 60,000.
"I became such a confident young girl because of sport," Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Lloyd said. "And, I always showed the boys that I could play better then them, so that was a lot of fun."
The Eagles also will announce the expansion of girls coaching and learn to play clinics -- all with the mission of providing opportunity for girls in sports.
"We wanna show that these girls can be.. anything they want," Levy said. "This just starts with giving them the confidence that they can do whatever they want, when they want."
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