Moms Take the Field: Swampscott's Thursday Night Lights Belong to the Ladies

Women take the field Thursday nights for a flag football game || Solange Jain

Flag football is often seen as an introductory version of the sport for young boys, offering a way to learn the fundamentals without the physical contact of tackle football. This summer, Swampscott is hosting the sport a little bit differently.

On Thursday nights at Swampscott Middle School, it’s swarms of moms taking the field instead.

“You have a wide range of players. The majority of us are moms, but it’s moms who have kindergarteners all the way through high schoolers,” said co-founder Kristen Cusic Doerrer. “The moms want something for themselves. We spend our days shuttling our kids around and going to camps. Summer is a really awesome time of year, but it’s also very hectic and Thursday nights are now our nights. We get time to move our bodies and socialize.”

The women’s 30+ flag football league follows a five-versus-five, no-contact format. Players have the ability to dive for a flag, but they cannot tackle one another. Weekly games are held on Thursday nights at the Swampscott Middle School, with most game times starting at 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. Games run for 40 minutes.

Then league is for women 30-years-old and over || Solange Jain

This summer, over 70 women have signed up to play through the Swampscott Recreation Department. This season features six teams, each with at least ten players to ensure there are enough substitutes each week.

The team names this season are:

Kiss My Pass
Salty Beaches
Midnight Blitz
RedRum
Golden Girls
Purple Reign

For Natasha Roman, her journey with flag football actually started with her daughter, who played in elementary school and then picked it back up in middle school.

“It was so fun to watch her play,” Roman said. “She loved it.”

So in 2020, when the Coastal Cougars flag football team started, Roman was in, calling it “nice to be out of the house with other moms.” Two of the players’ husbands coached them, but after people were getting injured and the overall league was “going to the next level,” the team parted ways.

Then came Cusic Doerrer and Katelyn Leonard, a Swampscott middle school teacher and the high school varsity girls basketball coach. The two had played flag football together with the Coastal Cougars for many years and missed the game, so they decided to start their own league.

“We had all absolutely fallen in love with the game,” Cusic Doerrer said. “We really bonded together as a team, and we learned the game, and we became pretty good.”

With the support of the Swampscott Recreation Department, the women’s 30+ league now even has a waitlist. Roman, who is on the Midnight Blitz team, said the game is still just as fun.

Women play flag football at the middle school on Thursdays || Solange Jain

“It’s hard not to be competitive and take it a little seriously, but we do try to make it as fun as possible,” Roman said. “It’s about the comradery. It’s an opportunity to be with these women that I’ve created this close bond with that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Like many of the players’ children, her daughter sometimes comes to watch from the sidelines. Cusic Doerrer said that part of the league is also “pretty inspiring.”

Roman noted that the group includes “a little bit of everyone,” bringing together women who might not otherwise cross paths due to different-aged children or social circles.

“We’re having a lot of fun,” Cusic Doerrer said. “We’re definitely making new friends. I’ve met so many people I didn’t know.”

The women are able to grab for flags, not tackle || Solange Jain

The six-week season wraps up with the Coastal Cup playoffs on August 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Cusic Doerrer hinted at plans to continue the flag football program not only next summer but potentially in the spring or fall as well. There might even be a men’s league.

To follow the season leading up to the Coastal Cup, visit the league’s Instagram page: @swampscott_summer_snaps.