In its first year of competition, three players from the Jets Flag Elite 14U travel team program were among 18 girls from around the country who participated in a United States National Team training camp in California last weekend, with two securing spots on the final active roster (and one as an alternate) on the 12-member team that will play in the fifth annual 8-nation USA Football's Junior International Cup in Los Angeles in June.
"My family has always appreciated what the Jets have done for us by covering a team dinner, meeting Jets players, and covering some travel costs," said QB/DB Myla Ramos, 13, who is from Woburn, MA, but travels to Florham Park for games and practice when possible. "Now I'm grateful to be a part of their team."
She added: "I think every flag player that takes the sport seriously dreams of being in the Olympics, and that is probably my biggest personal goal."
'For the Girls, It's Validation'
Flag football, for women and men, will be part of the Summer Games when Los Angeles hosts the Olympics in 2028. In addition to Ramos, WR/DB Kaitlyn Richards, 14, of Clayton, NJ, was also named to the national team roster, while Raz Colter, 13, of Ewing, NJ, was selected as an alternate.
"She has the skills that when you look at an NFL quarterback, she possesses all of them," said the Jets Flag Elite 14U coach Mickey McDermott of Ramos. "Arm strength, accuracy, coverage, reading and seeing the field ... those are things she excels at. She's played a long time, seen all types of coverages, those are qualities you look for in a quarterback, with arm strength and accuracy, there's not a throw she can't make, whether it's rolling right and throwing left. A strong arm is what sets her apart from girls her age.
"I'm pretty sure she will be the [national team's] starting quarterback even though she's young."
Under Chairman Woody Johnson's leadership and with the organization's support, the Jets in 2011 became the first NFL club to help launch girls flag football at the varsity level with the start of a PSAL league in New York City. The PSAL flag program has expanded to 60 teams. Then in 2021, the Jets and Nike launched the first high school girls flag league in New Jersey. More than 260 girls' flag teams have been funded with 7,500 girls participating. Girls flag became a varsity sport in New York State in 2024 and is set to become a varsity sport in New Jersey in 2026.
Then in December, the Betty Wold Foundation gave a groundbreaking $1 million grant to the Eastern College Atlhletic Conference (ECAC) to launch the largest women's flag football league at the collegiate level. Next weekend, the league's best eight teams will arrive at the Atlantic Jets Training Facility on May 2-3 to compete for a championship and ownership of "The Betty" trophy. Players and parents are seeing a pathway as flag football can be sport girls play for a long time.
That commitment and the girls' development that has led to their participation on the national level, McDermott said, is "prestigious both for the players and for what it says about our program."
"For the girls, it's validation," McDermott added. "It means their work, discipline, and performance are translating into a national spotlight. They're not just competing; they're proving they belong among the best in the world. That level of recognition builds confidence, raises their standard and elevates the expectations of everyone in the organization on how they approach the game."
'So Grateful for This Opportunity'
The U.S. team that will play in the USA Football sponsored Junior International Cup, June 18-21 in Los Angeles, includes girls from all across the country and is an indication of the explosive growth and popularity of girls flag football. In addition to the host US, teams from Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama and South Korea will also be part of the 5-on-5 competition.
Richards, a talented WR/S (each player has a role on offense and defense), only began playing travel flag two-and-a-half years ago after playing tackle football.
"I would say it's very fun, high IQ, and well-coached," she said about her experience with the Jets Flag Elite team. "I grew so much in such a short amount of time and it's so wonderful. I'm so grateful for this opportunity because it really helped me put my name out there and has allowed me to meet and get to know so many special people."
Richards added: "Being selected for the 15U National Team meant a lot to me because before that, not many people really knew who I was or what I was capable of. Getting that opportunity showed me that my hard work was starting to pay off. It motivated me even more to keep pushing myself and prove that I belong at that level. Since being on the team, it's been a great experience. I've been able to compete with and against some of the best players, which pushes me to get better every day. It's also taught me a lot about discipline, teamwork, leadership ,and staying focused. I know my journey is nowhere near finished."
Richards, an all-around athlete who also excels at basketball, is among the "best 15U players in the nation," according to McDermott, who added that "what separates her is her side-to-side speed and reaction to the ball, and as a basketball player her skills transfer well to flag, she's one of the most well-rounded athletes in the US at 14."
'You Don't Just Grow the Game, You Also Change Lives'
The players are scheduled to return to the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California in late May to continue their preparations for the Junior International Cup.
"It definitely made me more comfortable and confident knowing that I had my teammates by my side for such a big opportunity and it also shows how talented our Jets community is," Ramos said. "I think that every flag player that takes the sport seriously dreams of being in the Olympics, and that is probably my biggest personal goal."
McDermott, who is the flag coach at Ridgewood (NJ) High School in addition to his work with the Jets, praised the commitment of the Jets organization to girls flag.
"For Jets Flag Elite, it's credibility," he said. "Having National Team representation shows that what we're doing -- organizational structure, coaching, accountability and expectations -- is making avenues possible. Other NFL teams should see this as an example of what can happen when you invest wholeheartedly in girls and provide them with opportunities they may never have been able to experience -- because when you do it the right way, you don't just grow the game, you also change lives."
