In this episode of She Plays Flag, I sit down with Kelley Palfrey, assistant girls flag coach at East Paulding High School.

As a first-year coach in the sport, Kelley shares what it was like stepping into girls flag football, organizing tryouts, building team culture, and learning the game alongside her players. The conversation dives into player-led learning, early program challenges, developing confidence in female athletes, and how new coaches can approach the sport without needing years of flag experience beforehand.

This episode is a great listen for:

• new girls flag football coaches
• athletic directors considering starting programs
• coaches transitioning from other sports
• anyone interested in the growth of girls flag football

Topics include:

• building a first-year program
• conditioning and tryout structure
• culture development
• coaching while learning
• empowering athletes
• teaching beginners

Coach Brandon Harwell of Blessed Trinity joins the She Plays Flag Podcast to talk about building one of Georgia’s top girls flag football programs and the coaching philosophy behind sustained success.

Coach Harwell shares his journey from coaching baseball and freshman tackle football into girls flag football, how coaching every position shaped the way he teaches the game, and why communication, efficiency, and adaptability matter so much in a growing sport.

We also discuss:

• Building culture in a championship-level program
• Coaching female athletes
• Managing small coaching staffs
• Translating tackle football concepts into flag football
• Multi-sport athlete development
• Practice organization and efficiency
• The rapid growth of girls flag football in Georgia
• Lessons learned from coaching multiple sports
• Creating buy-in and accountability

This episode is packed with insight from one of the most respected coaches in the Georgia flag football community.

What does it actually take to build a successful girls flag football program?

In this episode of She Plays Flag, I sit down with Jordan Davis, Head Coach Girls at Allatoona HS in Georgia, to break down the realities of coaching, building culture, and running a program from the ground up.

Jordan shares his journey from multi-sport coaching into girls flag football, including how early experiences coaching his own kids shaped his understanding of the game and its unique strategy.

The conversation dives into:

• What a strong program culture looks like
• The gap between “ideal” programs and real-world challenges
• How to structure practices and manage game day
• Coaching philosophy vs. execution
• Lessons learned from coaching multiple sports

This episode is especially valuable for:

• New coaches entering girls flag football
• Programs trying to build consistency and accountability
• Anyone looking to understand how successful teams are actually run

As girls flag football continues to grow across the country, conversations like this highlight what it takes behind the scenes to build something sustainable.