Beaufort County launches girls flag football league with Panthers’ support

Girls from six Beaufort County high schools have taken the field for the inaugural season of the school district’s first girls flag football league, supported by a $15,000 grant from Carolina Panthers Charities.

The Beaufort County School District celebrated the launch of the pilot program Oct. 7 at May River High School, where players were introduced during a ceremony and competed in games marking the new league’s debut.

The Carolina Panthers presented the district with $15,000 in grant funding to help establish the six-team league. The organization also is supporting the program with equipment kits for each school and Nike uniform grants.

Participating schools are Battery Creek High School, Beaufort High School, Bluffton High School, Hilton Head Island High School, May River High School and Whale Branch Early College High School.

The kickoff included team introductions through a Panthers tunnel and a grant presentation, followed by competition among the schools.

More than 100 girls are participating in the district’s pilot program.

“We are thrilled about the continued dynamic growth of girls high school flag football in the state of South Carolina,” said Riley Fields, the Panthers’ director of community relations, in announcing the event. “The enthusiasm by Beaufort County School District and their desire to compete will be an important catalyst for continued growth in the region and we are excited to celebrate the kickoff of their inaugural pilot season.”

The Beaufort County league is part of a broader effort to expand opportunities for girls to play high school flag football across the Carolinas.

According to the Panthers, participation has grown from a 2022 pilot program involving 19 North Carolina high schools and about 500 athletes to more than 250 schools and 4,000 athletes across North Carolina and South Carolina.

The Panthers have worked with the David & Nicole Tepper Foundation to support the sport’s growth since 2022. The organizations report investing more than $2.5 million in grants, programming and other resources for girls flag football across the two states.

In May, the foundation announced an additional $1 million commitment to support girls high school flag football programs in North Carolina and South Carolina, including grants directly to schools.

In South Carolina, programs such as Beaufort County’s are helping establish opportunities for girls to compete as efforts to expand the sport continue.