It's only fitting that one of the pioneers for the sport is the Eagles' first-ever Girls Flag Football High School Coach of the Week.

Simply put, Academy at Palumbo Girls Flag Football Head Coach Chris Donnelly loves football.

She has loved it since she was a kid and has been sharing that love with her players for years as the sport of flag football has continued to grow for girls all over the country.

Donnelly's passion for the sport began in gym class as a child when she would play flag football. It grew as she watched the Eagles play every Sunday with her father.

She would go on to play tackle football for the Philadelphia Liberty Belles and the Philadelphia Phoenix in the early 2000s before becoming a tackle football referee for 11 years.

In 2013, she began running clinics for girls interested in the sport as she continued to try and grow the game.

Everything changed in 2022, after the Eagles launched their Girls Flag Football League, in partnership with Gatorade, The Bellwether District, and Planet Fitness, with Palumbo joining as one of 16 inaugural teams from the Philadelphia Public and Catholic Leagues.

"The game itself is a draw, and I just use my mouth to get it out there that it's an opportunity for them. The girls kind of do the rest themselves," Donnelly said.

"Every year it's just been growing, and I think it's the girls' own word-of-mouth – they're learning what a fun game it is. I think our success is certainly rooted in continuity."

The Eagles' league has grown to having more than 90 teams from Pennsylvania and an additional 30-plus from South Jersey. The sport officially became a state-sanctioned sport in Pennsylvania in September of 2024.

Palumbo established its dominance last May in just their third year as a program, going 11-0 in the Philadelphia Public League on its way to winning the Public League's Championship under the guidance of Donnelly.

"I think they have learned what happens when you work together as a team. Football is not a sport of individuals and if you play like that, you're not going to be as successful. You may have beef with somebody off the field, but when we step on the field, whether it's practice or a game – they've learned they need to work together to do it. For me, that's not just in football, that's in life," Donnelly said.

"Like I say all the time – winning is the cherry on top. Sure, that's the goal, but really the goal is what I want them to learn. I want them to learn how to work together, I want them to learn to be leaders. I want them to learn confidence. All of this is part of that."

This season, the success has continued for Donnelly, who is also a basketball coach at the school, and her squad at Palumbo. The team is 4-0, coming off of a 20-6 victory over Audenried in a battle of undefeated teams.

As the team looks for back-to-back championships, they stick by one motto in particular – "All in, all out."

"It's to remind us all that we need to be a team and you're going to put it all out there. No matter what happens, you may not win a game, but you have to make sure that you left it all out on the field. We are all in this together and I am going to leave it all out there on the field," Donnelly said. "They've kind of embraced that one and they're at a point now where they see that together, we can achieve what we want to do. It's not all about one player. That for me is the goal, it's really and truly for them to work together. Sure, I want to win. That would be great. But I'm not going to say the season isn't a success if we don't."

Donnelly's mission with the girls in the sport of flag football is to keep the girls connected all throughout the Delaware Valley. She wants to continue to see the sport grow as she looks to help players reach the next level as many collegiate flag football options have become available over the years.

"The idea that our girls can go to college on a scholarship to play flag football is mind-blowing to me. I want it to be my mission for there to be a place where if you're a college coach, you can come here and be like I want your players, your players are good. And I want the girls to have a place where they can go and be like what schools have flag football? Because it's growing so much right now," Donnelly said.

"I do this to see those girls who've enjoyed the sport to the point where they're good, they work at it, and people can recognize that and be like yes, this is something you can do at a higher level than this. I think this is going to have us keep growing. I expect more and more colleges and with the PIAA sanction, all of this stuff will grow.

"I really think it's a testament to the girls putting their all into it. The support of the school district, the support of the Philadelphia Eagles, I think that's all a huge part of it. It's an amazing opportunity and I can't wait to see where it goes." – Written by Liam Wichser