At the Grrridiron Girls Camp at William Woods University, boys and girls have the opportunity to learn flag football fundamentals. Grrridiron Girls founder and football trailblazer Dr. Jen Welter says the program’s aim is to help kids build confidence.
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By Natalie-Elizabeth Tan
Missouri youth will have the opportunity to learn from a football phenomenon at the upcoming Grrridiron Girls Camp at William Woods University in Fulton. The camp, to be held July 24, is free for all to attend. Despite the name, the camp is open to both girls and boys entering kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Grrridiron Girls Camp is a series of football clinics helmed by Dr. Jen Welter, a trailblazer in the football world. A former college rugby player, she was on the gold-winning Team USA at the International Federation of American Football Women’s World Championship in 2010 and 2013. She later became the National Football League’s first female coaching intern during the Arizona Cardinals’ training camp and 2015 preseason before going on to coach the Australian women’s national American football team in 2017. Today, she coaches youth athletes in the USA Football Select Bowl, part of the National Team Development Program.
“We were founded on the premise of ‘confidence through football’ and teaching girls that there is no game they cannot play and no field they do not belong on,” Dr. Welter says. “The football field is the place that most girls have been told was not for them, so by giving them permission to boldly step on that field, we are defying stereotypes.”
For the uninitiated, flag football is a non-contact version of American football. Players wear flags on their waists, which opponents aim to pull without a physical tackle (blocking is also prohibited), making it a safe way to learn about football while minimizing risk for physical injury. The sport is rapidly gaining traction and will be featured in the Olympics for the first time in 2028.
The camp consists of youth and high-school sections. The youth camp’s focus is on giving children a taste of football, with an emphasis on skill development and gameplay. The high-school camp introduces participants to the fundamentals of flag football before concluding with friendly games. Dr. Welter is not the only coach at the camp—she will be accompanied by William Woods athletes.
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Some big names and rising stars have been born out of this camp, like Ki’Lolo Westerlund, a two-time world champion with the U.S. National Football Team, and 11-year-old youth prodigy Kaleigh Patteron, who has been featured on the news multiple times for her athletic prowess.
The camp is filled with messages to instill confidence in participants, both on and off the field.
“Every girl who steps onto that field will see that she has a future and that she belongs on the same field as the guys do, and that is a priceless thing for girls to learn, not just in football, but in life,” says Dr. Welter.
Pre-registration is recommended but not required. The camp provides a shirt and lunch for all participants.
All photos courtesy of Dr. Jen Welter
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