Students at the University of Nevada, Reno are using their passion for women’s sports to add the university’s newest sports club, flag football, to the campus’ club roster.
While there are several flag football clubs throughout Reno, Jordan Katz, a sophomore at the University of Nevada, Reno, realized the university itself didn’t have any opportunities for her to participate in flag football, so she created one herself.
According to The Nevada Independent, Nevada ranks last nationally in general participation in youth sports; however, it leads in youth flag football participation. Before coming to UNR, Katz played flag football at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas.
“Flag football was so big at my high school,” said Katz. “It’s also growing immensely throughout not only high schools but colleges as well. [Nevada] has yet to have any type of women’s team, club team, anything for those who had that competition style before to continue playing out here.”
Katz, who started the Nevada Flag Football Club, is also the club’s president. Katz oversees meetings, practices and club members, alongside the club’s treasurer and safety officer.
As a former player on Palo Verde’s team and on a top competitive team in Las Vegas, the Apex Predators, Katz hopes to transfer a few things she learned from those experiences over to the club at UNR.
“From Apex to Palo, there was a big jump,” she says. “As a club sport… it’s much more competitive. There were a lot of girls who wanted to play, but not a lot of girls who’d get to play.” Katz also described her high school team as being competitive, but that more girls were given time on the field.
Although the team is just starting out, the club’s current goal is to grow their membership and start practicing together so they can begin to grow a bond between team members.
Katz hopes to eventually partner with the E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center to earn a competitive club status and play against schools like Kansas Wesleyan, which has a popular collegiate girls’ flag football team. Katz said she hopes the club will become one of Nevada’s most popular clubs.
”What makes it exciting is that it’s something from the ground up,” she said. “It’s not just a club, it’s the start of something bigger for women’s sports.”
Katz says no experience is needed to join the club at UNR. She encouraged anyone interested in playing to join the club for practice at Rancho San Rafael Park on Tuesdays at 4:15 p.m. and Fridays at 12 p.m.
