As part of the events leading up to Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area, top Bay Area girls flag football players faced off in an exhibition game on Wednesday inside the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The game was hosted by Toyota, highlighting athletes who play with NFL Flag, the official flag footb all program of the NFL. The game was played on a field inside Moscone Center, the same field where the Pro Bowl Games were played the day before. The teams played under black lights, which illuminated the neon jerseys of Team Pink and Team Green. The coaching staffs of both teams included NFL players. Team Pink featured San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua. Team Green coaches included Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Purdy told reporters that playing the game under black lights made for a unique coaching experience. “When they turned the lights off, we all looked at each other like, ‘Dude, this is going to be insane,'” Purdy laughed. The girls who played in the game said the experience will leave them with memories to last a lifetime. “I get to be on this field playing my favorite sport, it’s the best thing ever, ” said 18-year-old Isela Trujillo, who attends Notre Dame High School in San Jose. Trujillo has been playing flag football since her sophomore year in high school. She said it was special to be coached by NFL stars. She and her teammates on Team Green heard firsthand from Love and Pittman Jr. “They told us to keep the energy up. They were drawing up some plays on the sidelines,” she said. Trujillo wound up catching a touchdown and was beaming at the end of the game in her neon green jersey. She hopes that girls’ and women’s flag football continues to grow in popularity. She would like to see professional flag football leagues develop. “I love that [girls’ flag football] is growing right now, especially because it’s such a male-dominated sport, and now it’s growing, women get to play, and I love that as women, we get to prove that we can play just as well as men can, if not even better,” she continued. For the NFL, the emphasis on flag football is part of how the league is trying to reach a new generation of fans and athletes. The referees at the game included podcaster Kylie Kelce and retired quarterback Eli Manning. Kelce told the athletes before the start of the game that “girls’ flag football is the fastest growing sport, and you guys are a part of it.” ...read more read less