Women's Flag Football Kicks Off At Harford Community College

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The inaugural women's flag football team at Harford Community College kicked off its season last week in a game against Villa Maria College.

The Fighting Owls became the second junior college in Maryland to offer women's flag football. In May 2024, HCC received a $10,000 grant from the National Junior College Athletic Association, NFL Flag and RCX Sports to fund the start-up of a women’s flag football program.

“We appreciate the support from the NJCAA for the women’s flag football grant. With the support of the grant sponsors, Harford will be able to create new opportunities for female athletes, enhancing the offerings we currently provide and building community around a new and evolving sport,” Ed Liesch, athletic director at HCC, said at the time the grant was awarded.

In May 2025, HCC hosted a free clinic and open tryout in partnership with the Baltimore Ravens. Several of the HCC flag football players are dual sport athletes.

"It's their chance now to play a sport that hasn't been offered to them ever, and also it's going to provide them opportunities for the Olympics. We're hearing that there's rumors of a professional league, so it's providing them the opportunities to move on beyond the juco level," Leisch told WMAR.

Finding a coach to head the new program proved challenging, but Leisch tapped Andre Smalls to take the reins as head coach and lead the female athletes in a growing collegiate sport.

"Accepting this position [is] an exciting opportunity to teach the great sport of flag football at the collegiate level," Smalls said.

Their next set of games is scheduled for Friday at Manor College in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, against Cedar Crest College and Manor College. They return to Harford Stadium on April 18 after a string of away games to play a pair of games against Harrisburg Area Community College.