Philadelphia Eagles Increase Access to Girls’ Youth Sports
February 4, 2022
In honor of the 36th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day that took place on February 2, NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles have announced a first-of-its-kind female sports equipment donation of sports bras and the creation of a high school girls flag football league to provide more opportunities for girls to participate in sports.
Recognizing that there can be a lack of access to female-specific sports equipment, the team purchased $100,00 worth of sports bras for girls in need made possible by a $50,000 matching gift from the NFL Foundation. Nearly 6,000 bras will be donated to Leveling the Playing Field (LPF) – the Eagles non-profit partner – for distribution and will provide at least one sports bra to every female athlete that needs one in the School District of Philadelphia. According to the team, they are the first NFL team to support female youth athletes from their community in this capacity.
“While it may not be as widely known, sports bras are yet another equipment barrier that can prevent girls from under-resourced communities from engaging in sports and are one of our most requested pieces of gear. This incredible donation of new, quality sports bras is helping to break down those gendered barriers and get more girls from the Philadelphia community off the sidelines,” said Kaitlin Brennan, Director of Operations at Levelling the Playing Field.
Despite an overwhelming need for a sports bra to accommodate girls’ changing bodies through puberty, a study conducted by the University of Portsmouth found three-quarters of girls aged 11 to 18 pull out of sports because of discomfort and 90% of these girls don’t wear sports bras. Carrie Wagner of the Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS), an all-girls public charter middle school in Los Angeles, explained, “girls are less active because it may physically hurt to be active.”
Kicking off this Spring, the Eagles are also launching a high school girls flag football league to further promote female participation in sport. They are hoping to make it an officially sanctioned sport in the state of Pennsylvania.
The inaugural season will feature 15 schools from the Philadelphia Public and Catholic Leagues participating in an eight-game season as well as a Jamboree and Championships. Each school will receive custom uniforms from Nike and NFL flag kits, including equipment and instructional materials, and a $3,000 stipend from the Eagles for costs associated with the implementation of a team.
“This high school girls flag football initiative means the world to the girls in our program and school,” said Kara Quinn, Athena Athletics participant and future member of the high school flag football program. “The Philadelphia Eagles have been so supportive of us and helped us reach a dream we did not even know was possible, playing flag football as a high school sport in our school community. To me, this is exhilarating.”