NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Jamaar Hawkins wants to erase a narrative that’s been around for a long time.
“This isn’t Powder Puff,” Hawkins said. “We have some great athletes that are from the Junior Olympics for track and field. We’re going to showcase these athletes and continue to grow this circuit over the next couple of years.
Hawkins is the founder of I-64 Sports and is hosting the inaugural season for the I-64 All-Girl Flag Football League, the first of its kind in Hampton Roads.
He originally started it in the 757 after seeing a feature story on the national news. After he saw it, he wanted to localize it here for girls in local schools that don’t have opportunities to play a sport they may have wanted to play their whole lives.
“I’m a girl dad and coach all around,” Hawkins said. “I ran it past my daughter and she thought it was a great idea.”
Originally, he said some people were skeptical of the league because they didn’t know what it would look like, but after this Father’s Day, when their first tournament took place, he said it was a total success. Now, more people are finding out about it, and numbers are continuing to climb.
“Initially, our plan was to launch in May, and our numbers have continued to grow since then,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins’ ultimate goal is to get these girls noticed on a wider scale than just the Commonwealth, and stretch it out to where they can have opportunities for these athletes to receive scholarships to college to play flag football.
“My goal is to make it more of a national thing,” Hawkins said. “It’s great that it’s starting in Hampton Roads, but for our girls, I want to expand our competition out of this area. I don’t think many people know that you can go to college for flag football. Michael Vick’s daughter has a full scholarship for flag football down in Florida.”
The league will consist of six games, including a championship. The schedule is below:
If you’re interested in joining the league, you can get in touch with Jamaar Hawkins at i64sportsinfo@gmail.com.