Flag football veteran Amber Clark aims to grow the sport

PHOTO | RYAN PINI

Amber Clark, a multisport athlete in Greenville, North Carolina, is returning to her home state for this week’s IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship at UNC Charlotte.

Amber Clark’s return to North Carolina is her flag football version of homecoming.

Clark, a Greenville native, is a defensive back and receiver with the USA Football Women’s National Team that is playing July 5-9 at the International Federation of American Football Americas Continental Flag Football Championship at UNC Charlotte. American-rules flag football is growth sport at home and abroad – to the point of an international federation and consideration for a future Olympiad, perhaps in 2028.

A 2022 study by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association found 7.1 million people play flag football in the U.S., with about 2.5 million routinely engaging in it. In addition, seven states sanction girls’ flag football and the Carolina Panthers collaborate with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to sponsor a 24-team league from 19 high schools.

Clark, 30, was an accomplished athlete before jumping into organized football. At South Central High in Winterville, N.C., she won 3A state titles in track and basketball, where she scored more than 1,000 points. At North Carolina, she competed in the long jump and triple jump.

In an interview with The Post, Clark talked about becoming a football player, growth of the sport among women and potentially making the Olympics. Responses are edited for brevity and clarity.

Topic: On the road she’s taken to play on a global stage in North Carolina in front of family.

AC: “I think the world [of it] because I’ve been trying to play the sport for a long time – since I was young, about nine years old. “I’ve always grew up playing sports … like basketball, volleyball, running track and things like that, so I’ve always had that family support. I know it’s going to be 10 times over this week because they know how much I love this game and how much I put my all into it. It’s definitely going to be an amazing feeling to have everybody there and to be able to play at the highest level in front of most of my family.”

Topic: First awareness of football or sports in general:

AC: “I started playing sports when I was 6. I originally started playing basketball, and then I played that all the way up until high school. Then I played a little bit of volleyball in middle school, in high school and then I started running track in high school. I’ve been known about football for a while. I’ve always wanted to play. I grew up around my brothers and my cousins, and they were all guys and me and my brother, we’re really close, so whatever he did, I wanted to do.

“He was playing football, they were playing football, so I was like, ‘Well, I want to play football.’ But, you know, you know back in that time the parents were like ‘oh no, girls are going to be able to play football.’ Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance, but I never let that stop me from trying to play as many options or as many times as possible. Whenever there was a powderpuff game or things like that I would definitely try to get in, or if we had games at the school like recess, I was trying to play football.”

Topic: Favorite team or player:

AC: Not really. I just kind of enjoy the game just watching it. It’s just like any sport. I really don’t have a favorite player I just enjoy the atmosphere of what the game provides, just being able to see the competition level of what it brings.

Topic: Making the transition from high school and collegiate athletics to flag football and whether it required retraining.

AC: For me, it was somewhat of an easier transition only because in high school I trained just like I was training for the national team. I would go to 6 a.m. workouts with my coaches. It wasn’t too much of a transition because I was already kind of grown accustomed to that lifestyle, but it was definitely a learning experience of just being on your own trying to do it.”

Topic: Flag football’s growth coinciding with her participation:

AC: “I started playing tackle … in 2016 and it was just one of those moments of I’ve been wanting to play for a long time, I found an opportunity to play, so I decided to jump on it. I actually got into flag football during the covid year, so that’s pretty much how I was introduced to the game. From these three years that I’ve been playing the growth has been tremendous, honestly, because it was a couple of tournaments here and there throughout the summer.

“Now it’s like major tournaments that you want to be at because there’s the national team scouting and then there’s also a competition level has grown. From the first moment I stepped on the field it’s because it’s been more opportunities opening for athletes now with the World Games, the Olympics and all these different things. I think they see the opportunity and they want to grab every chance they have to get to those.”

Topic: Collaboration between the NFL and USA Football to grow the sport:

AC: It’s actually working hand in hand because they have NFL flag tournaments that they put on for the youth mainly. But they’ve opened the doors to the youth, girls, and that’s opening more doors for the collegiate level. I’m a coach for (St. Mary’s College, an NAIA program in Leavenworth, Kansas), but it’s a collegiate level of flag football, so it’s a seven-on-seven sport, and they offer it right now just Kansas in the Midwest and then in Florida. They’re working hand in hand.

The NFL is starting to back hopefully the NCAA soon. There has been talk about that. And I know in Charlotte, they’ve been working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to put on a league they started.”

Topic: Preferred position:

AC: “There are a lot of great two-way players on the flag level, but for me personally, I think I’ve thrived better on defense. I’m definitely defensive-minded at cornerback/safety and then I will be the receiver when needed, but you can be either a one-way great player or two-way great player, honestly, in this sport.”

Topic: Flag football as a global game:

AC: “Flag football is very big internationally. There’s 49 other countries that actually play the IFAF version, so hopefully with that growth and then being able to see the competitiveness that it offers, they’ll be able to offer as an Olympic [sport] in 2028 and if not, it’ll happen when it needs to happen because you don’t want to rush it. You don’t want to push it too fast because you don’t want a terrible product. But I’m sure for sure I’ll be grateful if it’s employed 2828, 2032, 2048, I’m still going to be out there trying to get on the field.”

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