Tenley Hill enjoyed performing flips and stunts as a cheerleader, but deep down, she had mixed feelings.
Why cheer for a game when she could actually be playing? That thought often crossed her mind while watching football games. “I should be in the game,” Hill reminisced.
She spent her senior year of high school playing women’s flag football but later transitioned to cheerleading, recognizing that a flag football team didn’t exist at UCLA when she arrived.
Determined to change that, she initiated a project. Hill took the opportunity in stride, establishing a women’s club flag football team on campus. She diligently recruited sponsors, crafted a schedule, and built a team roster.
Now as a freshman, Hill is on a mission to elevate the sport to Division I status. This goal seems quite plausible considering the growing popularity of women’s flag football, especially with its inclusion as a medal sport in the 2028 Olympics.
“It’s really amazing how fast they’ve grown,” noted Michael Torre Smith, co-head coach of the UCLA team. “We’ve built something significant together.”
Next year, UCLA is set to compete in the NIRSA Club Flag Football League, which brings together more than 40 teams from across the nation, in collaboration with the NFL, starting in January and culminating with a national championship in May.
Hill’s team has already seen impressive success, with an 11-5 record, finishing with nine consecutive wins. She’s even receiving direct messages from high school students eager to join. The team’s Instagram skyrocketed from zero followers to nearly 8,000 within just a few months.
There’s an undeniable momentum surrounding this team. Despite being told that forming a club could take up to a year, Hill was determined to expedite the process.
“I was like, ‘No,’” she recalled. “I want to get this done by next quarter.'” This push meant quickly establishing a board, securing a coach, and securing equipment contributions from brands like Oakley and GameBreaker, as well as a $10,000 donation from the Chargers Social Club.
As interest in the team grew, UCLA’s new football coach, Bob Chesney, invited them to attend spring practice, which was an encouraging boost.
Forming a team proved less challenging than initially anticipated; there were so many talented players that cuts had to be made to narrow it down to 25.
The team practiced whenever possible at UCLA’s intramural stadium, which also hosted their home games. Notably, their match against USC attracted a crowd that may have exceeded 1,000 attendees at the Chargers’ practice facility in El Segundo.
Hill’s dedication required sacrifices similar to those she made in high school. After cheering for the Bruins at the Rose Bowl, she chose to step onto the field herself.
For her, this was an easy choice. “If given the option over 100 times, I would choose flag football over cheer every time,” she said with conviction.
What makes this sport so special to her? “The feeling of scoring a touchdown is one of the most incredible emotions I’ve ever experienced. I play defense a lot, and getting a pick-six definitely ranks among my top feelings, so I just knew I couldn’t give it up,” she expressed.
Hill’s enthusiasm shines on and off the field, having relished that feeling numerous times with her new team.
“She has an incredible intuition for football,” remarked Smith about Hill, who is currently one of 48 players on the under-23 team for this week’s Select Bowl at Galaxy Park in Carson.
Ultimately, beyond her own aspirations for the Olympics, Hill aims to foster the growth of women’s flag football, paving a pathway for girls like her to transition from high school to college and potentially to the Olympic stage.
“It’s thrilling to be a foundational piece for girls like me,” Hill remarked.
