With the Winter Olympics concluded, athletes are preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, which for the first time will include a sport that is making a national impact from right here in Toledo: flag football.
How so? Well, the Toledo Dirty Birdz, a travel flag football program for both genders, had its top-tier boys team win its first-ever National Football League-sponsored flag football championship in 2025. That’s not all: the team in October won at the regional level and is poised to defend its national championship in Indianapolis this July.
In the meantime, several of the Dirty Birdz – and its sister group for girls, the Lady Birdz – competed in a separate flag football tournament in Orlando in February with success. Sort of like a warm-up for the upcoming NFL-sponsored championship.
“Flag football is growing,” said Scott Schultz, commissioner of the Rossford Dome Flag Football League and director of the Toledo Dirty Birdz and Lady Birdz. “It’s becoming a phenomenon.”
Flag football, which has been around for decades, is a non-contact variant of the football played in youth leagues, high schools, colleges and pros. Instead of tackling the player with the ball, defenders grab and pull out a flag attached to the ball carrier’s belt.
The league draws a sizeable number of players, ranging from age 3 to high schoolers. Schultz said about 850 players usually register for the Spring and Fall sessions; 1,500 or so in the Winter one.
He said the sport is growing because the NFL developed a series of flag football competitions for the youths, and that it’s drawing attention because of its Olympic debut in the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games.
He said the Dirty Birdz and Lady Birdz teams, composed by age groups, compete across the country.
RELATED: The Toledo Crash Offers Competitive Sports for All
And it’s the national appeal of a Toledo institution that gave birth to the team names. “Everybody knows about the Toledo Mud Hens, so I came up with ‘Dirty Birdz,’” Schultz said, noting that the teams have performed in the outfield of Fifth Third Field, the Mud Hens’ home.
Of the top-tier Dirty Birdz team that is to defend its national title, Head Coach Jeremy Jackson has high praise. “To win a national championship is a real big deal in youth flag football,” he said.
Jackson in part credits the team’s makeup for their success. “Their chemistry is great. Some of them have been playing together since they were 4 years old.”
A big part of that chemistry is Grady Rangel. The 10 year old from Sylvania was named the NFL Flag Football Most Valuable Player in the July competition.
“Grady was voted MVP because he is a team player,” Schultz said. “Grady is a big, big part of this team. He has good sportsmanship and is a great athlete.”
Grady’s parents, John and Mali Rangel of Sylvania, say flag football has been great for him. “He’s been building a relationship with these kids for a couple years,” John said. “He adapts well, listens to the coaches, and takes it seriously.”
John added, “He’s become more confident and has stepped up as a leader. When he would get down on himself, you could see that in his body language. He now controls that better, and when he sees other kids do what he once did, he puts his arm around them, pats them on the back, and tells them not to worry.”
As for Grady’s perspective, he said, “It’s fun to hang out with the team. It’s really cool. We have so much chemistry.”
Coach Jackson said there’s high value in these Birdz teams’ competing on a national scene. “It’s awesome for the kids to get these opportunities to compete and bring recognition to Toledo.”
Schultz added, “I’m proud of these kids for competing at the national level and creating memories.”
