Arizona Cardinals Launch Girls High School Flag Football Broadcast Series

The Arizona Cardinals have announced a significant initiative to promote girls high school flag football by broadcasting a weekly Game of the Week throughout the 2024 season. This venture will begin with Hamilton High School facing off against Xavier College Preparatory at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, at the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium. The collaboration involves Arizona’s Family Sports and is backed by State Farm as a stadium sponsor.

Ron Wolfley and Dave Pasch, the Arizona Cardinals’ well-known radio broadcasters, are set to call the games, with Cardinals reporter Dani Sureck providing sideline coverage. The series is part of the Cardinals’ broader efforts to enhance the visibility of the sport, particularly ahead of its debut as an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in 2028.

In 2023, the Arizona Interscholastic Association officially sanctioned girls high school flag football. Since then, participation has rapidly grown, with 57 schools offering the sport in 2023 and more than 100 expected to participate in 2024. The move by the Cardinals to televise these games is aimed at further promoting the sport and inspiring more young women to engage with flag football.

This season, the Cardinals will showcase top talents such as Samaya Taylor-Jenkins from Hamilton High School, who had an impressive 2023 season with 92 receptions, 1,625 yards, and 23 touchdowns. On the other side, Xavier College Preparatory’s Grace Ledoux also showed outstanding performance last season with 40 catches, 320 yards, and six touchdowns.

The broadcasts will air on Arizona’s Family Sports, available on COX channel 13, DirecTV channel 32, and Dish channel 44, with additional live streaming on the Cardinals’ website. The initiative is seen as a model for other NFL teams contemplating similar endeavors.

Michael Bidwill, owner of the Cardinals, expressed pride in the initiative, recognizing the sport’s explosive growth both in Arizona and on a global scale. The Cardinals’ commitment extends beyond broadcasting, with efforts in running camps, programs, and a two-year partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance, supporting gender equity by pledging $70,000 to promote girl’s flag football statewide.

Arizona’s Family VP and GM, Debbie Bush, highlighted the program as an opportunity to inspire young girls throughout the community, reinforcing the cardinal’s commitment to elevating local sports as integral to community connectivity.