1ST IWFFA GUAM FRIENDSHIP GAMES & PROMO TOUR 2023

DESCRIPTION

New Movement in Female Sports 

Arrives to Guam

President and founder of the International Women Flag Football Association (IWFFA), Diane Beruldsen,arrives to Guam from March 10 - 20, 2023, to train Chamorro and military  women 8 on 8, semi-blocking flag football for their newly formed female league: Flag Football Ladies Association of Guam (FFLAG).

Four teams of women, over one hundred players and a team of female officials will receive training in the IWFFA style flag football which includes: Field Goals, Punting, Kick Offs, Fake Kicks, Blocking fromshoulder to waist, Rushing from the scrimmage line, 10 yards to gain first down. President Diane Beruldsenexplains "IWFFA flag football rules are the closest set of flag football rules to NFL rules, but there are no helmets nor shoulder pads, no tackling, no fumbles and we develop the female style of play which is focused on finesse and strategy vs. brute strength."

Guam is the first country in the Pacific Asia Region to fall under the IWFFA umbrella, and the sanctioned FFLAG league members have some huge tasks in front of them. Beruldsen explains "the first year the women learn to play by IWFFA rules, the second year each women's team will coach a girls’ flag footballteam. We want young girls to see the women in leadership positions, to know they too can be a coach and leader when they get older. And the girls will play for free. Ages 8 - 11 years will be sponsored by the IWFFA as well as local businesses.

We are a women's organization who strives to empower females all over the world putting women in leadership positions . We want to develop the female style of playing flag football and are a unity of women all over the world in almost two dozen countries: Norway, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jamaica, Morocco, USA (and Puerto Rico), Guam, Canada and Mexico".

Linda Salas, founding mother of FFLAG, contacted the IWFFA wanting Guam women to become sanctioned. Originally, FFLAG stemmed from the Guam Women's Tackle Football League (GWTFL), which disbanded as a result of COVID as well as corruption in the Women's Football League Association WFLA) . Linda Salas explains "In searching for a sanctioning body, there were three organizations I wasinterested to join; however, it was the IWFFA who I saw treated the women very nice. They produce a women's flag football magazine, which is all about the women and girls, and they send out a monthly flag football news which was informative, and the IWFFA looked very supportive of all their women".

Following a week of trainings for players and an all female team of Officials, the first IWFFA-GUAM Friendship Games, hosted by FFLAG, was played on Sunday, March 19th at the University of Guam from 9am - 5pm. 

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero attended the games supporting the first women's flag football league in Guam. Color Guards presented opening ceremonies as hundreds of fans and spectators looked on. Each team played a round robin with the top two teams making it into the Championship. Awards given out included: All Star 

Select Teams for Offense and Defense in addition to Most Valuable Players on Offense & Defense for each team.

An all-star team from Guam has been invited to compete and represent Guam in the 32nd Annual Kelly McGillis Classic International Female Flag Football Championship, in Key West, Florida January 23 - 29, 2024. The league is looking for sponsors to be a part of the FFLAG travel team.