Carlson girls flag football launches inaugural youth camp

Gibraltar Carlson’s inaugural three-day girls flag football youth camp opened July 14 at Carlson High School in Gibraltar, a move that gives the program a direct route to the next wave of players. The camp was built to teach younger athletes the basics of spacing, route running, flag pulling and passing timing before they reach the varsity level, and it gave the high school program a way to start developing future roster depth now.

That approach fits a team that already spent the spring on the field. Carlson opened its 2026 season on April 26 with home wins over Monroe and Monroe Jefferson, a quick start that showed the program was not waiting around for girls flag football to become established before getting organized. The youth camp extends that work by creating a place where interested players can be introduced to the sport in a structured setting instead of learning it only after they are old enough to try out.

The timing matters because girls flag football is still building its footprint across Michigan. The Detroit Lions have expanded their own girls flag football programming with clinic support and a 2026 Michigan girls high school flag football championship and tournament bracket, while the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association says one of its long-term goals is to grow the game across the state. The association also notes that Michigan has already held its first girls flag football state championships, a marker that gives camps like Carlson’s real weight beyond one school.

Carlson’s version is especially important because it is tied to the varsity program itself, not run as a separate one-off event. That makes the camp more than a summer introduction; it becomes a feeder system that can identify younger players early, keep them connected to the school, and make the jump to high school football feel natural. For a developing sport, that kind of continuity is how first-wave interest turns into full benches and, eventually, a stable program.

Daniel Kalbfleisch, Carlson’s athletic director, and Brenda Greear, the athletic secretary, are the school officials listed through Carlson High School Athletics at 30550 W. Jefferson Ave. in Gibraltar. Their program is trying to do what every growing sport needs: keep the pipeline open long after the first camp ends.