Photo courtesy of Dunkirk Marauder Athletics Siera Jacques of Dunkirk carries the football during a flag football game at Dunkirk High School this past fall. Dunkirk and Fredonia are among the schools considering having a flag football team.

After the success of girls wrestling and a newly formed Trap Club, the Fredonia Central School District is eyeing the addition another sports program for the spring — girls flag football.

Fredonia Athletic Director Greg Lauer recently presented a plan for the creation of a girls flag football team to the Board of Education.

“This is a great opportunity to get our students involved in the game of football in a safe and fun environment. It also gets some of our students participating in a sport that they may not have done before in the spring season,” Lauer said in his presentation to the Board of Education.

Lauer claims seven to eight schools in the area are interested in the creation of a Chautauqua County league to compete on its own. The idea first began when Erie County piloted its own girls flag football league last year.

“Erie County piloted it last year with six or seven schools and that got a lot of publicity,” Lauer said. “A lot of our girls started to see it and expressed interest. I got a feeling there was pretty good interest and put together a proposal to see where I could find some money to put it together.”

Schools that have expressed interest in a girls flag football program this spring include Dunkirk, Cassadaga Valley, Clymer-Sherman-Panama, Silver Creek-Forestville, Southwestern, Jamestown, and Westfield.

Teams would likely play each other once, with most games targeted for turf facilities of other programs. Most games would be played on Saturdays, according to Lauer.

Seven players would be on the field at one time from each team. Fredonia reported approximately 25 girls were interested in joining the team, should it be created.

Fredonia does not expect to put a limit on participation.

Practices would begin in early April, five days a week in an open gym if the weather does not permit outdoor practices. Games would start in late April and run through the month of May. If possible, Fredonia would like to host a game at the Orange Bowl.

While Fredonia has not taken official action on the creation of the program, Lauer presented the Board of Education with a plan to make it work financially with money already in the athletic department budget.

Financially, the district would be responsible for transportation, uniforms, flag football belts, and officials fees, in addition to compensation for two coaches. The total estimated cost of the program according to Lauer is $6,903, but with leftover transportation funds and rewards built up in the athletic budget, the responsibility to the district is estimated at $5,403. Lauer also noted that the Buffalo Bills might provide financial assistance to cover the cost of equipment.

“There are people who are definitely interested. Nothing is set yet, but we have people who would do it if it’s approved,” Lauer said.

The next Board of Education meeting at Fredonia is scheduled for Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.