JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Middleburg High School senior Cheyenne Jenkins, like many other young female athletes, has faced the challenge of being overlooked in football. However, initiatives like the Jacksonville Jaguars' PREP program are changing the game, offering girls like Jenkins a platform to showcase their talents.
"A lot of us get overlooked because originally back in the day, it's a man's game but now it's a bunch of females that can play the game, so we get overlooked a lot so having Jaguars and other NFL teams that have big platforms like this for girls is great," Jenkins remarks.
Through their PREP program, the Jaguars prioritize providing opportunities for young girls to develop and display their skills early on. Adriel Rocha, VP of Community Impact and Football Development at the Jaguars, emphasizes the importance of grassroots involvement in youth sports.
"On the youth side, grassroots is very important. I think that once they get a piece of the game, and they experience it, and a great coaching experience and on-field experience, it'll just carry over to high school," Rocha explains.
Former Jaguar player Paul Spicer echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the significance of introducing girls to football at a young age through programs like flag football.
"Just like men's sports, we started young playing pop warner football and all that. Now, the young ladies get an opportunity through flag football to have the same type of opportunities so that way they can go to school, they can get an education as well because all that is important," Spicer notes.
The Jaguars' commitment to community impact is evident through their provision of resources and support for youth football programs. Rocha highlights the investment the organization has made in creating opportunities for young athletes.
"Our senior leadership team here with the Jaguars have given us the resources to be able to show the impact that we want to make in the community. We have a scholarship available for seniors, we also have game of the week, coach of the week, and player of the week in that space. So, we want more athletes at home to know about these opportunities," Rocha states.
Furthermore, amidst the initiatives offered by the Jaguars, girls' flag football is experiencing rapid growth as Spicer predicts a promising future for the sport.
"Universities, organizations, corporations, they are starting to now invest in this, and so as this grows, just like we got professional lacrosse, professional volleyball teams, guess what, we're going to have professional flag football teams as well," Spicer concludes.
With the Jaguars' support and the increasing recognition of girls' flag football, young athletes from the First Coast are empowered to pursue their passion for the game with confidence.