HOUSTON (AP) — When U.S. Women’s Flag National Team member Ashlea Klam was in high school in Texas, her school wouldn’t let her participate in signing day, even though she had earned a scholarship to play flag football collegiately.

“It was extremely hurtful knowing all of the work that I put in and my high school didn’t want to celebrate it,” she recalled this week.

Klam hopes other girls don’t have to experience what she did, and she’s working with the Houston Texans Foundation and the franchise’s She’s Next movement as the Texans’ global flag ambassador to help promote female participation in the sport in Texas and beyond.

This week, as the U.S. women’s and girls teams assembled in California for USA Football’s Summer Series, Klam and the rest of the players were celebrated, receiving curated gift boxes from the Texans and foundation vice president Hannah McNair.

The boxes featured items players had requested, including headgear, gloves, sports bras, arm sleeves, slides and jumpsuits, all adorned with the She’s Next slogan and the Texans’ logo.

“We absolutely loved it,” said Klam, who has led Keiser University to the NAIA flag football national championship game the past two seasons. “It was things that true flag football players want. It’s really exciting to know that we are being seen and that we are being heard, and especially from organizations like the Houston Texans, and knowing that they really stepped up to make all of the (teams) and women who are part of USA Football feel really special.”

Men’s and women’s flag football will be Olympic sports for the first time in Los Angeles in 2028. McNair and the Texans foundation began focusing on girls’ flag football in 2023 and she’s been thrilled to see growth in the sport among school-age girls in the last two years.

“I’m so excited about it,” she said. “The growth of the sport, the excitement, the empowerment it gives females being able to play football. We know what it can do to communities and for individuals but pushing that towards scholarships and educational opportunities for these female athletes is something that we’re really focused on.”

High school girls’ flag football is currently sanctioned as a varsity sport in 15 states, and McNair and the Texans are working with policymakers in the state to push Texas to sanction it. For now, the team’s girls flag football program includes more than 2,000 high school athletes in Houston, Austin and El Paso.

McNair attended the championships in Houston and El Paso recently and loved seeing the impact the game is making.

“It is emotional and also so moving and inspiring to see these athletes and the excitement they have on the field with their teammates, the celebrations,” she said. “To me it’s the ultimate team sport, and to be able to push this sport forward with the interest of all these high school girls and young female athletes has been something that continues to help push us to this next step of trying to get it sanctioned here in Texas.”

That’s something Klam hopes happens soon so that girls playing flag football in the state will have opportunities she lacked.

“I think it’s crazy that I’ve been able to represent my country at this level, but I was never able to represent my high school,” she said. “So having that sanctioned and giving so many more girls the opportunity and allowing them to feel like this is something that we’re serious about and you have a future, that would would mean a lot to me.”

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ATLANTA – Penn State women’s soccer alumna and United States U17 Women’s Youth National Team head coach Katie Schoepfer selected incoming freshman Nittany Lion defender Marlee Raymond to participate in the organization’s upcoming June camp and pair of friendly matches against Japan, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced.

Raymond joins the Blue & White as a reclassified member of the 2026 signing class and hails from Cumming, Georgia, with the rookie slated to enter her first collegiate season with PSU this fall. Raymond has been a decorated member of the USYNT player pool over the past few years, adding additional acclaim at the ECNL and high school levels. She has been a part of the U.S. Youth National Team as the U15, U16, U17 and U20 levels in varying capacities, including appearances at a UEFA Tournament in addition to a gold-medal performance with the U16 team in a tournament hosted by Turkey in May of 2024. At the club level, she has earned ECNL All-Conference accolades in addition to a pair of appearances in the ECNL National Selection Game and a pair of ECNL Conference Cups. Among the high school ranks, Raymond has been named an All-Region and All-State selection in Georgia, a two-time Defender of the Year and a Freshman Athlete of the Year over the course of her high school playing career. Raymond was one of five top 100 players that signed to the PSU roster in 2025, landing the No. 75 individual player ranking within her class according to TopDrawerSoccer.

Raymond is the latest member of the 2025 Nittany Lion roster to garner a USYNT call-up, joining a group of eight athletes to secure Collegiate Talent ID, U17, U18, U19 or U20 selections since March of this year. The outstanding rookie prospect joins fellow incoming freshman teammates Kennedy Ring, Riley Cross and Hannah Jordan, rising sophomores Bella Ayscue, Kieryn Jeter and Kealey Titmuss, as well as rising junior Kaelyn Wolfe on the talented list of Penn Staters joining the USYNT ranks this season. Penn State’s history of placement with the United States Soccer Federation continues at every level of the sport, with Raymond’s appointment to the U17 squad coming less than 24 hours after the organization announced that PSU alumnae Kerry Abello and Sam Coffey would return to the senior USWNT for camp activities this summer.

With Schoepfer at the helm and Raymond on the squad, the U17 WYNT will begin their June training camp in the coming week in preparation for a nationally broadcast friendly match against Japan from CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home to the National Women’s Soccer League’s Kansas City Current in addition to being the only purpose-built women’s professional soccer venue in the world. CPKC Stadium is additionally slated to host the 2025 NCAA Women’s College Cup, the proverbial “Final Four” of women’s collegiate soccer. The USYNT’s friendly match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. (ET) start on June 28, with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via Max and Telemundo Deportes.

The U17 WYNT will play a second match against Japan in a closed-door friendly on July 1 at the University of Kansas Health System Training Center in Riverside, Missouri, the training facility for the Kansas City Current. The two-match series will serve as preparation for the upcoming 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in November, which will be staged annually starting this year.

MITCHELL – A years-long dream of an indoor sports complex in Mitchell may just get its day under a roof as locals come together to plan a multi-purpose sports and community center.

Mitchell City Council member Mike Bathke shared with the hotelier’s tax district board that he and others are moving forward on a 116,000 square foot indoor sports facility in Mitchell, and that he is putting together a business plan and funds to move forward with the project.

The Mitchell BID No. 4 Tax District board met on Wednesday, June 18, and during the citizen’s input portion, Bathke shared his plans for the project. Bathke told the board a construction cost of $21 million, according to rough numbers he has received from Palace Builders.

Bathke told the Mitchell Republic that the project will be a minimum of $17.5 million, and that there are many variables to consider, including insulated metal panels, lighting and turf. The rising prices of materials may also play into the cost of construction.

“We’re just trying to get the concept out there because this is what we’ve been hearing people actually want,” Bathke told the Mitchell Republic.

Bathke told the Mitchell Republic that now is the time to be bidding projects because the economy is slowing down. In a slow economy, projects could receive more competitive bids.

The board last met on March 26, when hoteliers clarified their preference for

funding an indoor event facility to attract visitors during the low-occupancy winter months of January through March.

The winter event center topic was the result of a survey conducted by BID No. 4 board vice-chair Jerry Thomsen.

Indoor sports facilities enable year-round practice, game play, and training free from the elements.

“We want to be very frugal with the taxpayers’ money,” said Bathke, who noted that the most cost effective construction option for the sports facility may be a steel building.

A design could accommodate a larger expansion later, but the starting point is an affordable budget, according to Thomsen.

“The number one goal is to serve people who are currently not being served in the wintertime,” Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson said.

The indoor facility will have space for soccer, tennis, pickleball, and football, with talk of accommodating volleyball, softball, and other games.

Hanson and Bathke have formed a committee of sports leaders, hoteliers, and others to provide feedback on the indoor sports facility.

“We’re not going to pick a location yet,” Bathke told the board.

Bathke shared that he and his wife had considered building a tennis facility, and pivoted to a multipurpose facility. In addition, Bathke is working on a business plan for the indoor facility, something he has been critical of the Mitchell City Council for not doing on city projects.

“It doesn’t work with just throwing it out there, not understanding how we’re going to actually pay for it,” Bathke said.

The indoor facility will not have a basketball gymnasium, according to Bathke, who said there were already 17 basketball gymnasiums in town. Bathke hopes that the Mitchell School District board will allow more use of gyms for the public, citing that the taxpayers paid for them.

Bathke’s son plays tennis, and Bathke told the board that Sioux Falls tennis players are better tennis players because they are able to practice year-round at indoor facilities in Sioux Falls.

“We don’t have the facilities to practice year-round like these other kids do,” Bathke said.

Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

Thomsen called a potential indoor sports complex a win-win for the community and for the hospitality sector.

“I want these younger kids to have options that are healthy and good for them in the winter months, instead of just sitting behind a computer screen playing video games,” Thomsen said.

Thomsen told the Mitchell Republic that he is a Corn Palace supporter, and that if a donor paid for the Corn Palace expansion he would support it right now.

“My decision will be based on which has the biggest bang for the buck for both the community and the generation of revenue for the community, and I think this – at the end of the day – appears to be more favorable.” Thomsen said. “I just don’t think we have enough money to do the Corn Palace, a multi-use sports facility, and a lake.”

Board member Tim Smith suggested that Bathke reach out to DWU to coordinate efforts.

Bathke cited the Fishback Indoor Training Facility in Brookings as a proven and successful model of how an indoor sports facility should work. The facility has 12,000 plus square feet of turf and a 50 yards by 30 yards area dedicated to soccer training and small sided tournaments. The facility has two full size batting cages, a walking track and meeting areas.

In comparison, the Sanford Fieldhouse in Sioux Falls is 91,000 square feet, and boasts indoor space for soccer, baseball, softball, and football.

The board approved $150,000 of BID No. 4 tax funds for the 2026 Sports and Events Authority (SEA) budget, and approved allocating any remaining 2025 Sports and Events Authority fund balance to 2026’s budget. BID No. 4 funds come from the $2 per room per night tax on hotel rooms in Mitchell.

Thomsen read aloud hotelier’s anonymous comments on the survey he conducted. One comment stated that the city of Mitchell should not have access to the BID No. 4 funds.

In the past, hotel BID tax funds were used to fund the indoor pool and the ice arena construction, according to Thomsen.

Bathke told the board he was counting on their support for the indoor facility.

Thomsen told the Mitchell Republic that it would take a majority vote of the BID No. 4 board to approve funds toward the indoor sports complex. Any potential funds would be limited to what is left after the SEA is funded.

“We do not have an unlimited budget, so we have to be wise on what we build and what we get the biggest bang for the buck,” Thomsen said.

The BID No. 4 board welcomed Bathke to share about progress made on the indoor sports complex at its next meeting.

Bathke plans to present the topic to the Mitchell City Council at its first meeting in July.

“We’re a long way from the finish line,” Bathke said.

Next week, Escambia County Parks and Recreation will host the 2025 Gulf Coast Recreation Classic at the John R. Jones Ballpark at 555 East. Nine Mile Road.

The games begin on Monday, June 23 and last until Saturday, June 28. Game times are 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. Monday-Friday and Saturday games will begin at 9 a.m. Roger Scott Athletic Complex, located at 2130 Summit Boulevard., will host the 10U division games June 23-24, 26-27 at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m.

There will be 62 recreation-based all-star teams participating in the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic, including teams from Escambia County, City of Pensacola, City of Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, and Okaloosa County. Teams consist of youth baseball players ages 7-15. The tournament is open to the public at no charge. All spectators are welcome to support the recreation all-stars.

Escambia County teams include players from Northwest Escambia Baseball (NWE), Perdido Baseball, NEP Baseball, Molino Recreation Association, and West Pensacola Baseball.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these all-star teams back to Escambia County for another great year of youth sports,” Escambia Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said. “It’s an honor to be selected to host these teams, and I’d like to give a special shoutout to our staff who works hard to make this event happen. The passion our players and their families have for youth sports is what makes events like this possible. We look forward to a great week of youth sports and invite everyone to come out and join us.”

Pictured: NWE 10U at the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic. File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

COLUMBUS — The Columbus Soccer Organization handed out its annual scholarships this week to local players Cassidy Remson, Conner Bastow and Brant Smith. 

Remson and Bastow are graduating seniors, attending Blue Mountain Christian and EMCC respectively, while Smith is currently enrolled at Delta State University. 

Both Remson and Bastow played for Columbus United and plan to continue their playing careers at the college level. 

The scholarship fund was established by donations made in honor of Marolyn Albertson, the grandmother of Columbus United coach Dave Albertson, to recognize her and her family’s contributions to establishing the sport in the Columbus area. This year, the scholarship fund gained additional support for the next three years with a sponsorship from Financial Concepts. 

The newly dubbed “CSO Collegiate Scholarship supported by Financial Concepts” will provide three $500 scholarships per year and will provide funds that can be used for financial emergencies.

“The scholarship is one more way that CSO supports the community,” CSO director Tom Velek said. “In an age of franchised youth sports, it is important that independent organizations such as CSO make clear we support our players – on the field and after they are done paying registration fees.”

Any CSO-registered player who played with the organization at the U15 age group or higher is eligible to apply for the award, and it can be put toward any educational, vocational or professional program after high school.