The Memorial High School Girls Flag Football Team is headed to Reliant Stadium for a special opportunity to compete on an NFL stage.
On Thursday, Aug. 20, the Mustangs will take on Pasadena South Houston during halftime of the Houston Texans preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The showcase is about more than one game. It is part of a growing movement led by the NFL, the Houston Texans and organizations across the country to expand opportunities for girls to play football and build a pathway for female athletes to compete at the youth, high school and collegiate levels.
For Spring Branch ISD (SBISD), the opportunity comes at an especially exciting time as girls flag football continues to gain momentum across Texas.
“This is an exciting moment for our student-athletes and for the future of girls athletics,” Executive Director of Athletics Paige Hershey said.
“Having our Memorial athletes compete at Reliant Stadium with the support of the Houston Texans and NFL gives our students an incredible opportunity to experience where involvement in a team sport can take them.”
The Houston Texans have invested in growing girls flag football throughout the Houston area, helping introduce more young women to the game and creating opportunities for them to compete, develop their skills and see themselves as part of football’s future.
“We want girls to see football as a place where they belong,” Houston Texans representative Brett Stewart said. “It’s about giving girls a real pathway through youth programs, high school competition and growing college scholarship opportunities.”
That pathway is expanding rapidly. High school participation is growing, collegiate opportunities and scholarships are increasing, and flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
For the Texans, creating opportunities like the halftime showcase also gives Houston-area students a chance to experience the sport on one of football’s biggest stages.
“For many of these students, this is their first experience on an organized team of any kind,” Stewart said. “Flag football teaches discipline, teamwork and resilience. It has quickly become a pathway that’s inspiring communities and turning potential into future possibilities.”
During the halftime competition, each team will receive one offensive drive beginning at the 45-yard line during a seven-minute running clock. The competition will then transition to an extra-point shootout, with the teams alternating plays from the 5-yard line.
For Memorial’s student-athletes, taking the field at the home of the Houston Texans is both an opportunity to represent their school and SBISD and to be part of a defining period for their sport.
“The young women that are playing today are trailblazers,” Stewart said. “They are building something that didn’t exist for the generation before them.”