Intramural sports introduces women's flag football to WSSU

After two years of attempting to establish an Intramural Women's Flag Football League, the Campus Recreation Program of Winston-Salem State has finally accomplished its goal.

"After enough participant interest we were able to get the league started," said Dash McNeal, director of intramural sports and recreation.

The women's league began last month and has three teams: 5 Star Chicks, Hot Divas, and Free Agents.  Each team consists of nine to 10 players.  The league plays Monday evenings at Civitan Park Field in Winston-Salem.

According to McNeal, the women's league does not differ from the men's league except for the number of teams.  Both leagues follow the rules and regulations of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association.

"The men's league gets to play more games than we do because they have more teams," said LaToya Mallard, a sophomore healthcare management major who plays for the Hot Divas.

 WSSU has now joined other local universities that offer this intramural sport: High Point University, NC A&T, UNCG, and Wake Forest.   

Because the league is a work in progress, WSSU does not compete against other university women's leagues.

"If there were more teams/players in our league then we could travel to play other teams like the men's league's teams do," McNeal said.

Mallard said that WSSU is helping eliminate the stigma of people who presume females are not capable of playing the game like males do.

"I think this [league] is a good opportunity to have fun, stay in shape, and meet new people," said Shanice Johnson, a senior mathematics education major who plays in the league.

"Since I already referee for the men's league, and I enjoy watching football, it's exciting for me."

The league is making efforts to increase the promotion of the aspiring coed league on campus -- beyond general campus advertisement-- through social networks such  as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

"As a former athlete, I know that sports empower our females here on campus to be more athletically active, and it's great that women can enthusiastically compete in sports just as much as men do," said Whitney McCoy, SGA president.