The Utah Gay Football League: Take Pride in Your Team

In the world of sports, people often talk about impossible moments. Take the New England Patriots’ miraculous comeback during the 2017 Super Bowl. Many attribute it to Tom Brady, but a comeback like that isn’t possible without a strong team backing you up. That’s what the Utah Gay Football League (UGFL) is all about — encouraging and strengthening community through sportsmanship, camaraderie and doing the impossible.

Originally founded in 2006 under the name Mountain West Flag Football League, the UGFL is a nonprofit flag football league aimed at creating an encouraging athletic space. More than just recreation, the league is a safe haven for the queer community. The group puts on events and fundraisers to give the community visibility, uses the money from fundraisers to give scholarships to queer student athletes and has even begun partnering with local bars like The Green Pig Pub and Kiitos Brewing for post-game socials. In fact, the rebrand from Mountain West Flag Football League to the Utah Gay Football League was done to be more identifiable as an organization made by the LGBTQ, for the LGBTQ.

“It’s like a mini Pride weekend. You’re together with your team and the other teams are there and it’s thousands of players now! It’s absolutely massive!”

Head Recruiter AJ Woolsey fondly recalls her first venture into the league: “I came to practice one day –– in jeans,” she says. “I was like, ‘I’m just gonna see what it’s about,’ and instantly fell in love and found a family, found a community.” Participating in the league brought her a sense of purpose. She says, “This is a sport I never thought I would be able to play … and it’s just helped me grow so much as a human.” It was that growth that motivated Woolsey to take on the role of head recruiter.

For a long time, the league was mostly male players. In fact, Sponsorship Manager Lokelani Kuoha was the only female player for a period of time. Woolsey’s goal was to encourage more women, trans and nonbinary players to join the league. She began tabling at events like SLC Sapphic Nite Out and worked with the UGFL board to create separate practices for newcomers so they would feel less apprehensive about starting a new sport. Woolsey explains, “For the first time ever, we have planned newcomer practices for brand new people to come out and learn … and that has been wildly successful in my opinion.” According to Woolsey, the league has grown a third in the last year. The growth isn’t just local either, but national as well.

Kuoha and City Leader Derek Evans talk about being on the travel team and participating in national events like the Gay Bowl. Kuoha sees these events as something enriching. “I feel like [being on the travel team] really builds the strongest relationships with teammates and friends because you’re practicing for months together, and then you actually travel together and play these high-stakes, high-adrenaline games,” Kuoha says.

“This is a sport I never thought I would be able to play … and it’s just helped me grow so much as a human.”

“It’s like a mini Pride weekend,” Evans adds. “You’re together with your team and the other teams are there and it’s thousands of players now! It’s absolutely massive!” There’s also an overwhelming sense of — for lack of a better word — pride that comes from not just meeting out-of-state gay leagues, but seeing them absolutely demolish stereotypes about gay people in sports. Evans explains, “It’s a deceptively high level of football because you think, ‘Oh it’s a bunch of gays playing. How serious[ly] can they take it?’ And then you get on the field and there’s ex-NFL practice squad players … You’re getting to share the field with the top 1% of athletes in the world and most of them are LGBTQ+. It’s like, ‘Yeah, gays can play football too.’”

The UGFL stands as a pillar for the gay sports leagues and giving back to the community. Find them at @utahgayfootballleague on Instagram and at utahgayfootball.com. If you want a chance to show your support, the UGFL will be hosting a pool party fundraiser on July 19. Here’s hoping we get to see more players, more teams and more gay sports leagues in the near future.

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