Girls’ flag football on display again

The Steelers continued to support youth sports in the Pittsburgh area as they hosted their fourth free Girls Flag Football Jamboree.

More than 100 girls, grades 7-12, attended the educational event at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the same facility used by the team.

The afternoon combined drill stations, skill development and breakout flag football games to give players the knowledge they need to continue their flag football journeys with their schools and teams. Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch spoke to the girls and offered encouragement.

“It’s amazing to see how girls flag football has taken off,” said Mike Marchinsky, Steelers senior director of marketing events. “We’ve been doing two-day soccer camps since 2009, and we’ve always had girls come to the camps, but they vastly outnumbered the boys in those camps. But the girls there were just as talented as the boys when they run and catch and throw. So I always knew that there was great interest in girls’ camps and girls’ soccer, with girls playing in ticket programs in communities in western Pennsylvania and throughout the state.

“Now that there’s more of a concerted effort to give them a better chance, it’s very satisfying because I’m also a father of a girl. It’s really special to see it have such a big impact on people.”