How Fiesta Bowl platform adds 'instant credibility' to women’s flag football

About three years ago when Erik Moses was settling into his new role as the executive director and CEO of the Fiesta Sports Foundation, he began to notice how quickly the sport of women’s flag football was growing. The Fiesta Bowl had just hosted Diana Flores, the captain and quarterback of the Mexican national team, as a guest in its parade ahead of the signature college football game. The state of Arizona sanctioned girls flag football as a high school sport beginning in 2023.

Moses saw an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something big. “We knew early on that flag – and women's flag in particular – was starting to percolate across the country. We were looking at opportunities for us to widen and broaden our impact and figure out new events that we could do, but that made sense for us as an organization rooted in football,” Moses told USA TODAY Sports this week.

“I want the biggest, most impactful women's flag football tournament in the country. So, let's go make that happen. ” Moses assigned that task to Bret Scroggins, the director of football engagement for the Fiesta Sports Foundation.

This weekend, that tournament is coming to fruition. Seven club teams and one varsity squad will compete in the Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Classic in Tempe, Arizona. The Fiesta Sports folks secured Oakley as a presenting sponsor, and a semifinal and the championship game will air live on ESPNU on Sunday, April 19, with the title game kicking off at 6 p.