The She Plays Flag Podcast
She Plays Flag is a podcast focused on the growth of girls flag football and the people shaping its future.
Hosted by longtime football fan and coach Matt Mashburn, the mission of the show is simple: to educate and advocate all things girls flag football.
The show explores the sport through conversations with coaches, administrators, organizers, and leaders working across the flag football ecosystem. From understanding the rules and structure, to navigating high school and college pathways, to examining where the game is headed next.
She Plays Flag is for anyone who cares about where girls flag football is going and how it gets there.
The She Plays Flag Podcast
From State Champion to National Team Trials: Lacey Abell Is Building What She’s Chasing
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In this episode of the She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Lacey Abell, Head Coach at Arvada West High School in Colorado and a member of the 2024 USA Football Women’s National Team pool.
Lacey’s football story didn’t begin with organized opportunities. It started in the backyard in Wisconsin, moved through co-ed leagues, rugby in college, national travel tournaments, and eventually onto the USA Football trial field.
We talk about:
- Growing up loving a sport that didn’t have much of a path for girls
- Earning opportunities in adult travel flag
- The process and pressure of USA Football national team trials
- What elite evaluation looks like
- The mindset of playing quarterback at a high level
- Transitioning from player to high school head coach (while still playing!)
- Building a program during Colorado’s rapid flag football expansion
- Teaching football IQ to first-generation players
Lacey brings a rare perspective actively competing at the national level while coaching high school athletes who are just beginning their football journeys.
It’s about growth, leadership, standards, and what it means to build something that didn’t exist a generation ago.