Another football season is here!

Last year I started with eight girls on my high school girls' flag football team and finished with six, while the league had five teams spread across three high schools. This year, we have 24 girls on my team necessitating splitting into two teams, while the league has expanded to eight teams in five high schools. Growth for next year is anticipated to more than double.

I realize I currently live in the center of the football universe; however, the NFL has launched leagues in 11 states and Washington, D.C. More than 13,000 girls have been introduced to flag football through this program.

Now that our family is in "year two" of our affiliation with the NFL's high school girls' flag football program, I am happy to report the pay off from season one was far more than we could have hoped. Meagan and Bailey's knowledge of the sport, and athletic ability have both increased dramatically over the last year. However, the real payoff has been in terms of their increased confidence and leadership ability. The girls and I were very happy to find the same bonds the boys and I enjoyed when I coached them.

We found the level of competition to be high and the girls' competitiveness to be very high indeed. While the speed and competitiveness are intense, last season's safety record was very good. With only two injuries out of the entire season, few girls' sports can boast of an injury rate as low as ours can and the girl's flag football injury rate is much lower than cheerleading or basketball.

Most high school sports are continued in college intramural leagues for those students who aren't fortunate to play at the intercollegiate levels. However, after college there are few who participate in organized sports other than church softball leagues or perhaps YMCA volleyball leagues. Organized sports participation for women is even rarer.

My two girls are graduating this year and as such, this is the last year they will play in high school; however, they have already investigated playing in college and they have found a traveling team. The girls' interest in, and knowledge of, football will be very useful as they get older and are invited to football parties in college and beyond, and when their own children play football or other sports. Dawn and the girls and I have found these things to be the real payoff to our family participating in this sport.

Schools and communities can find help at the NFL's youth football Web site if they wish to start leagues of their own. The NFL provides much of the equipment and training to help get leagues off the ground. I hope to see other communities follow suit and bring flag football to the young women in their high schools so they can begin experiencing the fun and increased athleticism and confidence our girls have experienced.

Mark Altman is a speaker and leadership consultant with the Altman Leadership Center. He is an international speaker with two books and a DVD that can be purchased on Amazon.com. He can be reached at mark@leadright.net.