Harford Community College Debuts First-Ever Women's Flag Football Team

BEL AIR, Md. — Harford Community College officially launches its first-ever women's flag football program this week, becoming only the second junior college in Maryland to field a team in the rapidly growing sport. The Fighting Owls will open their history-making season at home Thursday at 3 p.m. against visiting Villa Maria College.

Athletic Director Ed Leisch spent two years laying the groundwork for the program, citing a surge of local interest and the chance to create new pathways for female athletes. "It's their chance now to play a sport that hasn't been offered to them ever," Le said, adding that flag football's inclusion in future Olympic Games and rumors of a professional league make the timing ideal. "We're providing them opportunities to move on beyond the juco level."

Head coach turned out to be the missing piece until Leisch recruited Andre Smalls, whose patience and vision have shaped the fledgling roster. "They are understanding what we're doing and it's just a progress right now we're looking pretty good," Smalls said. "Everyone's catching. They understand the game, but we still have a long way to go."

Roughly half the roster lists dual-sport athletes, many of whom have never strapped on shoulder pads. Basketball standouts and Turkey natives Nehir Safkin and Ayca Kazak are among the newcomers learning the fundamentals from scratch. "My coaches taught me really good and I learned how to throw a football first, and that was kind of hard for me, but I figured it out," Kazak said. Safkin echoed the feeling of starting over: "Our coach is like teaching from the, so we're trying to learn from the beginning, like step by."

Neriya Kindred, a volleyball player at Harford, is experiencing football for the first time in her life. "It's been an experience for sure. It's so fun. It's so to get like the knowledge of a whole new sport and see like a whole different perspective of what another sport is outside of volleyball," Kindred said. "I've definitely been a learning experience. I love."

The home opener Thursday marks the start of what Harford officials hope will be a springboard for the program and a milestone for women's athletics in the region.

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