West Hartford Youth Football League’s inaugural all-girls flag football league concluded with championship games at Sterling Field.

Final flag football game of the season for third and fourth grade girls. Courtesy photo

By Jade Werblow

The extremely successful inaugural season of West Hartford’s all-girls flag football team concluded at Sterling Field on Sunday with semifinal games as well as championships for various age groups on the line.

The day started with the Girls 5/6 semifinals at 11:30 a.m. between the Lions and Commanders and at 11:45 a.m. with the Rams and Giants, followed by the winners in the finals later in the afternoon. The fields also hosted the final championship of the Girl’s 7/8 game between the Dolphins and Jets at 12:45 p.m. 

Adding an exclamation point to the successful season, the final coin toss was overseen by West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor. 

Throughout the expanse of Sterling Field – where the boys championship was also underway – there was an atmosphere of fun and excitement as the games progressed. Throughout the day, the players exhibited teamwork and perseverance. 

“Everybody’s just gotten so much better from the first practice to where we’re at now, so that’s been the best part,” said one of the coaches. After asking for some of the reactions and perspectives of the viewers, many shared, “I think flag football is a great opportunity to come together and become a community.”

More than 140 girls signed up for the inaugural year of the girls flag football program, and organizers noted that overall the program tied together nearly 1,000 family members to the football community.

The girls flag football program has a total of 21 coaches, three of whom are female. Not only are these coaches here to teach and provide the players with the experience they gained from the year, they as well are learning the ropes of coaching, as many are first-timers. 

The league was the inspiration of Chris Rafferty, Josh Brier, and Dean Matus, who originally coached an indoor team that played in Windsor last winter. “We coached to effort and attitude,” with the goals being learning about the game, and having “so much fun you want to play again next week,” Rafferty said.

“I brought the idea to WHYFL President Eric Bischof and Director Steve Brouse, who presented the idea to the WHYFL board in March ’25, to unanimous support,” Rafferty told We-Ha.com. What followed was a marketing effort and collaboration with other sports programs as players and coaches were recruited and registered.

The goal, Rafferty said, was “ not to win football games; the intent was to give girls lessons of leadership, teamwork, collaboration, and empowerment.”

Through this program, not only have they provided a network of positive connections between the new players and the league, they also empowered young girls in the field of sports. From the collaboration of many board members and word of mouth once school began, the recruitment effort was a great success with all interested being able to be accommodated on a team, “not leaving a single athlete on the waitlist,” Rafferty said.

By all measures, the formation of West Hartford’s all-girls flag football league gave the new players opportunities to grow as a community, and as players of the sport. 

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