The Troy University football team hosted its inaugural Girls Battle Ready Flag Football Camp on Wednesday, which also happens to be the first camp of its kind in the State of Alabama. 

Troy Football welcomed more than 200 high school flag football players, representing 13 different teams from across the state to the camp. The decision to do the camp was two-fold for Troy Head Coach Gerad Parker.

“No. 1, I’m a father of three daughters and No. 2, I think it’s very easy to see, if you pay attention to the world of football, that this is a massively growing sport in both men’s and women’s 7-on-7 flag football. It’s an Olympic sport now and we just want to catch up with the times.” 

Parker said hosting camps like this is also about serving the community but he said it also helps his coaching staff sharpen their skills.

“Camps like this – and our kids’ camp – are things I get really excited about. There is just a lot of humility in serving,” he said. “It’s also about making sure we’re great teachers and that we’re able to see things through a different lens. We’re not used to coaching littles or girls and I think this gives us a chance to practice our skillsets in having to teach in a way that’s maybe different from how we teach our guys in college.” 

Enterprise High School was among the schools represented at the camp. Enterprise Head Coach Brad Fortney said a camp like this is just the beginning for a sport that seems to be growing every year in Alabama.

“I think this will be the tip of the iceberg of things to come in terms of the exposure of the game,” Fortney said. “If you look over the last three or four years, how the sport has grown in Alabama, it’s just going to continue to blossom and the girls really love it.” 

Players got a chance to learn from Troy’s coaching staff and even some of its players as they teach individual position skills along with a 7-on-7 tournament to finish off the camp. Enterprise quarterback Jamilla Ballew was excited for the camp.

“It’s so fun,” she said with a smile. “I like that everyone gets a chance to experience it and get more development in the game and the coaching has been so great. I feel like it gets everyone more excited for the sport and it’s exciting to be coached by college coaches. It’s a really great experience and I just feel lucky that I’m able to be here and experience this.”

Parker said that he’s planning for this camp to become an annual tradition for Troy’s summer months, especially after such a positive turnout. 

“To our knowledge this is the first camp of its kind in the State of Alabama and we want to be forward thinking in how to help grow the game of football in our communities,” Parker said. “What better way to do that than to have these young ladies come out here with our coaches and let us be a part of their growth? Anything you do, you worry about what it means. Is there going to be five people that show up? So, I’m surprised by the turnout but very pleased that this many people had this much interest in wanting to be a part of it.”