JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new scholarship program is about to help high school female football athletes pursue higher education.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars announced on Friday, Feb. 24, that the new program is through the Jaguars Foundation.
“It has been great to watch the upward trajectory of girls playing football in our region as there are more youth and high school athletes participating and growing the sport every day,” said Whitney Meyer, Jaguars Senior Vice President and Chief Community Impact Officer. “As an organization, we are fully committed to providing opportunities and resources to assist our female athletes and excited to be able to offer this scholarship program to assist their potential future in sports as professionals.”
This year, the Jaguars Foundation will award three scholarships. The application is currently open and closes on Mon., Apr. 10. Recipients will be contacted directly in April by a member of the Jaguars Foundation and will be recognized at the Jaguars NFL Draft Party at TIAA Bank Field on Apr. 27.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Graduating High School Senior (Class of 2023) in one of the following counties: Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, Baker, Columbia, Flagler, Volusia, Putnam, Alachua, Union and Bradford
- Female high school senior participating in touch, flag, or tackle football
- Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate program at an accredited college or university
- Plan to pursue a career that positively impacts sports
The application link to the Jaguars Girls in Football Scholarship can be found by clicking here. The deadline to apply is Apr. 10, 2023.
The state of Florida leads the way in the growth of girls flag with over 300 schools (over 7,000 girls) participating. Jaguars PREP, the Jaguars youth football program, hosted a Girls Flag Football Showcase, Media Day, and Preseason Classic at TIAA Bank Field on Sun., Feb. 19 and Mon., Feb. 20, 2023.
More than 100 athletes competed in the combine-like events on Sunday and had the opportunity to hear from Hall of Fame offensive lineman Tony Boselli and be scouted by NAIA coaches.
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On Monday, both Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Trent Baalke encouraged the athletes before the competition began. Twenty-eight teams competed in the Preseason Classic, making the Jaguars’ event the second-largest of its kind in the NFL.