El Paso community:
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
We all had high hopes for Region 19’s pilot season of girls’ flag football. Your great city embraced the game, and the opportunities it provides for your high schoolers, far beyond our expectations.
This community rallied around the sport of football, particularly the women’s game, like none other. The organization of the pilot program was impeccable. Communication, too. El Paso’s engagement from every corner — families, neighbors, friends, partners, administrators, coaches, athletes — was exceedingly incredible.
As football people we’re all about the stats — and let me tell you, El Paso’s are eye-popping. Nearly 1,000 athletes participated in the pilot season. These girls represented 38 public and private high schools across 10 districts. One person involved told me that interest was so overwhelming, around 300 students were at risk of being turned away — in just one district. So, the offering was expanded. Anyone involved in high school athletics knows that’s not an easy task. Talk about dedication.
And the feat you pulled off: 119 regular season games across 18 high school campuses, all within three weeks. Eighty-five tournament games in four days. Just as impressive, El Paso Sports Network live-streamed four pregame shows and 43 tournament games. Everything from the play to the broadcast was top-notch. You’d never know this was Region 19’s first season!
A special acknowledgment goes to the families and friends who packed the stands for each and every game; Houston Texans owners Cal and Hannah McNair, who spent all day among the crowd during the championship game; team sponsors at the Texans and Dallas Cowboys organizations; El Paso Sports Commission; El Paso Sports Network; Zebra Sports; Nike; the Shamaley Ford dealership; NFL advisors Bobby Taylor and Mike Daniels; and every player, superintendent, teacher, coach, ref, and fan who came out to be a part of this. Your partnerships have been invaluable. If I missed someone by name, it’s only because the list is too long to do it justice.
Of course, congratulations to your Region 19 champions: Americas High School.
Again, thank you for embracing girls’ flag. Thank you for letting the NFL ride along with you, collaborating in lock step with us. Most of all, thank you for committing to the futures of your young women. The benefits of football will carry with them in health, in athletics, in school, and in life.
You set the bar. Communities like El Paso are the reason our nation’s young women are now able to participate in America’s most popular sport. When we look back, after girls’ flag football becomes a varsity sport in all 50 states, with mature college recruitment programs and established high-performance pipelines to international competition, we’ll point to the City of El Paso’s pilot as a defining moment.
From faith to family to football, you represent the best America has to offer.
I can’t wait to see where this goes. Keep leading the way, El Paso!
With gratitude.
Troy Vincent Sr. is the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the National Football League
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: LETTER: Girls’ flag football shines bright in West Texas — thank you, El Paso!
Reporting by Troy Vincent Sr. / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
