The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation announced today – in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day – that its Girls in Football Scholarship application is officially open. In November 2019, the Buccaneers became the first NFL team to establish a nationwide academic scholarship program designed to benefit female high school football players who want to pursue a career in sports. This was made possible through a $250,000 commitment from the Foundation. Girls interested in applying for the scholarship can do so at learnmore.scholarsapply.org/buccaneersgirlsinfootball
Applicants for the scholarship must have plans to enroll in a full-time accredited four-year college or university and have earned a minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) during their high school academic career. The application will close March 23, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. and the inaugural round of awards will be distributed after the 2020 academic school year.
Along with opening the Girls in Football Scholarship today, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation released a video to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which can be viewed here.
In addition to rewarding young women for their academic excellence and passion for football, the Buccaneers want to expand and grow the game for young girls and provide opportunities to play flag football in their community. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Girls Flag Football League (City of Tampa) has doubled in size for the 2020 season and starting Monday, February 10th, 20 teams with over 200 girls between the ages of 6-14 will participate. To help encourage participation, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation has covered league fees for all girls who play.
The month's female-focused events will wrap up with the second annual Girls in High School Flag Football Preseason Classic - the largest female flag football tournament in the country. This year, the Buccaneers will host 57 high school teams – an increase of more than 50 percent from last year's inaugural event – in a two-game, round-robin format to be held on the team's practice fields and indoor facility at the AdventHealth Training Center. The tournament will span over four days from Wednesday, February 26th to Saturday, February 29th, featuring over 1,200 female athletes from across the state of Florida.
The marquee "Friday Night Lights" matchup between Robinson High School, 2019 Class 1A state champion, and Alonso High School, 2019 Class 2A state champion, will take place on February 28th, with more details to come.
