The She Plays Flag Podcast
She Plays Flag is a podcast focused on the growth of girls flag football and the people shaping its future. Hosted by longtime football fan and coach Matt Mashburn, the mission of the show is simple: to educate and advocate all things girls flag football. The show explores the sport through conversations with coaches, administrators, organizers, and leaders working across the flag football ecosystem. From understanding the rules and structure, to navigating high school and college pathways, to examining where the game is headed next. She Plays Flag is for anyone who cares about where girls flag football is going and how it gets there.
Episodes
What happens when you say "yes" to an opportunity you never expected?
In Episode 16 of the She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Breana Sumpter, Head Women's Flag Football Coach at LaGrange College. Coach Sumpter shares her unconventional journey from teaching Spanish and working in mental and behavioral health to leading one of Georgia's growing collegiate flag football programs.
She reflects on starting as a volunteer high school...
In Episode 15 of The She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Sheldon Miller, head women's flag football coach at Brewton-Parker Christian University in Mount Vernon, Georgia. As one of the newer NAIA programs, Brewton-Parker may not be on every recruit's radar, but Coach Miller explains why schools like his deserve a closer look.
After spending years coaching high school tackle football, Coach Miller embraced the challenge of buildi...
High school flag coaches, players, and families - This is the episode you've been waiting on!
In this special Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) recruiting roundtable, I joined five college flag football coaches to discuss what flag football recruiting really looks like, what coaches are actually evaluating, and how athletes can improve their chances of finding the right college fit.
Featuring:
• Seth Berkebile – Wesleya...
In this episode of She Plays Flag, I sit down with Kelley Palfrey, assistant girls flag coach at East Paulding High School.
As a first-year coach in the sport, Kelley shares what it was like stepping into girls flag football, organizing tryouts, building team culture, and learning the game alongside her players. The conversation dives into player-led learning, early program challenges, developing confidence in female athletes, and h...
Coach Brandon Harwell of Blessed Trinity joins the She Plays Flag Podcast to talk about building one of Georgia’s top girls flag football programs and the coaching philosophy behind sustained success.
Coach Harwell shares his journey from coaching baseball and freshman tackle football into girls flag football, how coaching every position shaped the way he teaches the game, and why communication, efficiency, and adaptability ma...
What does it actually take to build a successful girls flag football program?
In this episode of She Plays Flag, I sit down with Jordan Davis, Head Coach Girls at Allatoona HS in Georgia, to break down the realities of coaching, building culture, and running a program from the ground up.
Jordan shares his journey from multi-sport coaching into girls flag football, including how early experiences coaching his own kids shaped his under...
In this episode of the She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Kelly Bendall, assistant girls flag coach at Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Kelly didn’t come into flag football with a background in the sport. She came in as a coach.
With years of experience in soccer and a deep understanding of how to lead and connect with female athletes, she stepped into a brand new game, learned it in real time, and helped bu...
Dakota Hughes has lived nearly every chapter of the women’s flag football story.
From a childhood spent throwing the football in the backyard to becoming the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Steam, Dakota’s path eventually led her into coaching and developing the next generation of players.
In this episode, she shares the lessons she learned stepping into leadership at a young age, why adversity and failure are essent...
In this episode, I sit down with Clark Nixon, head coach of the Milton High School girls flag football team in Georgia. Clark didn’t come from the flag world. He was a math teacher, basketball coach, and tennis coach who simply loved football and saw an opportunity to create something meaningful for girls in his school.
Starting with just a handful of players and no prior flag experience, Clark and his staff built a program th...
In this episode of the She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Lacey Abell, Head Coach at Arvada West High School in Colorado and a member of the 2024 USA Football Women’s National Team pool.
Lacey’s football story didn’t begin with organized opportunities. It started in the backyard in Wisconsin, moved through co-ed leagues, rugby in college, national travel tournaments, and eventually onto the USA Football trial ...
In this episode, I sit down with Ramsey Lambert, Head Coach of girls flag football at Santa Monica High School in California.
When Santa Monica launched its program, 51 girls showed up to the first tryout ...and none of them had ever played football before.
We talk about what it looks like to build a program from scratch:
- Teaching football terminology from the ground up
- Slowing down the install process so athletes can truly learn
- Cr...
In this episode of She Plays Flag, I talk with Kevin Fraser, head coach of the Pope High School Girls Flag Football program. Kevin and the Pope Greyhounds have just completed a state championship season and are busy building for the future. We discuss the growth of girls flag football, the challenges of building a program from scratch, and the importance of community support. Kevin shares his journey into coaching, the structure of...
In this episode of the She Plays Flag podcast, I sit down with Jay Ross, head coach of the Madison High School Girls Flag Football Program in Northeast Ohio. Jay discusses how he built the program from the ground up, starting with just a handful of interested girls recruited through a Snapchat message. The conversation covers the practical and personal aspects of starting and running a girls' flag football team, including fundraisi...
In this episode of the She Plays Flag Podcast, host Matt Mashburn discusses the growth and development of girls' flag football in Florida with Jeremy Hernandez from the Florida High School Athletic Association. Jeremy shares his journey from New Mexico to Florida, where he took on the role of overseeing girls' flag football. He highlights the significant progress made since the sport was first sanctioned in Florida in 2003, noting ...
Thanks for joining Episode 2 of the She Plays Flag Podcast. For this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Coach Jake Burgdorf, Head Girls Flag coach at McEachern High School in Georgia. Coach and I discuss the growth and development of girls' flag football at his McEachern program and in Georgia at-large. Jake shares his journey from coaching tackle football to leading a successful flag program, emphasizing the importanc...
Thanks for joining the inaugural episode of She Plays Flag!
In this conversation, Coach Greg Johnson discusses his journey as the head coach of Ralston Valley High School's girls flag football team in Colorado. He shares insights on building the program from scratch, the growth of girls flag football in the state, and the importance of fostering a positive environment for athletes. Coach Johnson emphasizes the need for patienc...
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