Ealing Fields High School has won the NFL Girls Flag league with the championship finals taking place Monday (22 May 2023) at Ealing Trailfinders ground.
The league from The New York Jets and Chicago Bears saw 120 girls from across London aged 12-14 to compete in Flag Football, the non-contact version of American Football which seeks to promote accessibility for all, teamwork, and character development in youth.
Four schools from Ealing took part Featherstone High School and Ealing Fields High School in the Jets league and Villiers High School and Alec Reed Academy in the Bears league.
Ealing Fields beat Beaconsfield with a 38:12 score in the final. They now get the opportunity to play against a girls’ flag team from Germany during the NFL London Games which take place in October 2023 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
| JETS teams: | BEARS teams: |
| Kingsbury High (Harrow) | The Beaconsfield School (Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire) |
| Featherstone High School (Ealing) | Cranford Community College (TEAM 2) (Hounslow) |
| Ealing Fields High School (Ealing) | Northwood School (Hillingdon) |
| Villiers High School (Ealing) | The Elmgreen School (TEAM 2) (Lambeth) |
| Cranford Community College (TEAM 1) (Hounslow) | Alec Reed Academy (Ealing) |
| The Elmgreen School (TEAM 1) (Lambeth) |
Featherstone School also performed well, coming second in the Jets League.
Of the 9 teams competing, 4 were from Ealing, with Ealing Fields winning the Championship Event at Ealing Trailfinders Club, Ealing.
Jesse Linder, VP of community relations for the Jets said: “It has been wonderful observing the young girls grow over the last five weeks, both in terms of their prowess on the pitch and the community they’ve formed. We truly believe Flag Football is one of the best sports for young girls both here and in the UK and our joint league with the Bears has reflected that.”
Matt Simeone, Chicago Bears’ director of community & alumni relations commented: “This is only the beginning for the Bears involvement in bring girls Flag Football in the UK. We know that young girls gain transferable skills from taking part in Flag Football, and we want to ensure that girls in the UK have the same opportunity to take part as those in the US.”
