BEL AIR, Md — Hartford Community College is launching its first-ever women's flag football team, becoming just the second junior college in Maryland to offer the sport.
WATCH: Hartford Community College launches first women's flag football team
The Fighting Owls will kick off their inaugural season against Villa Maria College at 3 p.m. Thursday at home in Bel Air.
Athletic Director Ed Leisch worked for the past two years to bring women's flag football to the school. He said the college capitalized on the burgeoning interest in the sport.
"It's their chance now to play a sport that hasn't been offered to them ever, and also it's going to provide them opportunities for the Olympics. We're hearing that there's rumors of a professional league, so it's providing them the opportunities to move on beyond the juco level," Leisch said.
Finding a coach was not easy, but Leisch said it was a perfect match once he found head coach Andre Smalls.
"They are understanding what we're doing, and it's just a progress right now; we're looking pretty good. Everyone's catching. They're understanding the game, but we still have a long way to go," Smalls said.
Many of the players are dual-sport athletes taking on football for the first time. Nehir Safkin and Ayca Kazak are both from Turkey and play on the school's basketball team.
"My coaches taught me really well, and I learned how to throw a football first, and that was kind of hard for me and but I figured it out," Kazak said.
"Our coach is like teaching from the beginning, so we're trying to learn like from the beginning, like step by step," Safkin said.
Neriya Kindred, who also plays on the volleyball team, is venturing out to play another sport for the first time in her life.
"It's been an experience for sure. It's so fun. It's so cool to get like the knowledge of a whole new sport and see like a whole different perspective of what another sport is outside of volleyball, so it's been fun. I've definitely been a learning experience. I love it," Kindred said.
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