Ki'lolo Westerlund knew he had a starring role in the NFL Flag 50 commercial promotional flag football airing during Super Bowl LIX. She knew she would be appearing with past and present NFL players such as Miles Garrett, Justin Jefferson and Marshawn Lynch. She wasn't seen that. It aired on millions of screens around the world shortly after halftime, but the 17-year-old flag football star was actually appearing in a New Orleans game with his father.
Westerland was an outstanding receiver and defensive player at Liberty High School in Las Vegas. She also helped the US Women's Junior National Team win gold medals in the 15U and 17U groups of the Junior International Cup in USA Football each year from 2022 to 2024.
However, Westerlund's phone exploded with notifications, but she was eagerly waiting for the opportunity to witness the Super Bowl ad herself. After the third quarter ended, I played on the Caesars Superdome screen.
Essentially, Westerland played himself, but the watch got caught up in 1985 forty years ago. She played a high school student. She thrived in the garrison, despite being suspected by her male counterparts, and was evacuated under her guard. The climax was a scene that mimics the Philadelphia Eagles as they sprint through Saquon Berkley's backward hurdles that oppose the gravity of those who questioned her skills.
Leave the past. Make your girls' flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states. #NFLFLAG50 #sblixhttps://t.co/mwxpxj0ogy pic.twitter.com/i0yzbdyzgo
– nfl (@nfl) February 10, 2025
Westerland sat in the Eagles fan section of the Super Bowl when the ad was played.
“It was a real honor,” Westerland said in a recent phone interview. “It's all like when it hit me. I was emotional. And I was like, 'Wow, this is actually happening. This is crazy.' Everyone around me was like, 'Wait, that's you!' ”
The NFL Flag 50 is a campaign that has started pushing the league to promote women's flag football to become a Varsity High School Sports approved in all 50 states. There are now 14 states that approved it, and Louisiana recently granted conditional approval, with 18 additional states launching pilot programs. The NFL Flag program has been offering young people of all genders the opportunity to learn and play sports since the 1990s.
If you're wondering why the NFL will air a two-minute commercial during an event where the 30-second commercial costs around $8 million and the popularity of flag football and investment in the sport has reportedly exploded in recent years.
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Flag Football will debut as an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in a 5-on-5 format at the 2028 Summer Olympics. The NFL changed the Pro Bowl to a flag football format in 2023. It is unclear whether NFL players will be in the 2028 game, but this is something that is being discussed by the league officials and American Football (the governing body of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee).
Over the past five years, Flag Football has become a college sport at NAIA, NJCAA, NCAA Division I, II and III levels. Earlier this month, the sport recommended that it participate in the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program. This will allow schools in all three NCAA divisions to make a deep commitment to sports and may one day submit a proposal for Championship status considerations.
Alabama, the FCS program, became the first DI school to hold the Women's Flag Football Program in April 2024. This past offseason has become the first DI school to hand out sports scholarships. I went to Westerland.
When Alabama coach Jennifer Constable got approval to offer the scholarship, she wanted to use it not only on game-changers on the field, but also on anyone who would become a pioneer.
“To be honest, it was easy,” Constable said recently. “She was my first pick to do that. …She's going to be someone her kids will look up to.”
Although Westerlund is excited to compete at the university level, her bigger goal is to continue competing at the 2028 Olympics, growing the game wider and more.
“Absolutely,” Westerland said when asked if he believed people would be more open to girls and women playing football. “They come in and try to understand that.
“And for those who haven't yet, they'll soon be like that.”
Ki'lolo Westerlund was the star of the two-minute Super Bowl commercial for the NFL Flag 50. (Commentary by the NFL)
Boredom led Westerland to flag football.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic forced a shutdown around the world, she was a volleyball and rugby player who had no intention of playing flag football. However, during her inactivity in 2020, she decided to challenge Apex Predators, a youth flag football club in Las Vegas.
“I was actually really bad,” Westerland said, but she formed a team with future US female team members, Masi Jonich and others. They started playing games against the boys' team. And while Westerland gradually improved, the team didn't go well.
“We were constantly beaten and we were getting tired of it and then teased. “And that pushed us to continue the fight.”
As Apex Predators developed better chemistry, they began to talk at one point about how they wanted to play with other girls. There they worked to promote the game both locally and in other states. They travelled to play a contest to attract attention.
Nevada already approved flag football as a sport at Varsity High School in 2016, so Westerland was able to start playing when he enrolled at Liberty High in 2021. The process of creating a junior national team was an eye-opening experience for Westerland.
“There were a lot of girls out there, and just before the trial began, I saw like-minded people and it made me want to just keep going,” Westerland said. “I realized it was bigger than what I had in the Little League in Vegas.”
Unlike her flag football predecessor, Westerland had others she could respect as a role model. The biggest one was Ashley Crum, who at the age of 19 became the youngest player to create the US women's national team in 2023. Former teammate John Sic, who broke Crum's record in 2024, was another.
Meanwhile, Westerland began to develop a reputation for her own rights. A few years ago, while coaching club teams at the Flag Football Tournament, the Los Angeles Open, I realized that Consible was looking for extra bodies, not players.
Constuble happened to be friends with Westerlund's aunt and was in town and signed up for the team. The team won the tournament.
Three times gold medalist Ki'lolo Westerlund joins us after performing @nflflag Of 50 commercials #superbowllix Discussion about becoming the first flag football player to receive the NCAA D1 Flag Football Scholarship@therokuchannel |Please check the local list pic.twitter.com/8ke4ronxeg
– Good Morning Soccer (@GMFB) February 10, 2025
Just as much as Westerlund's skills stood out, so was her infectious personality.
“Her personality, her presence, her leadership qualities — she instantly blended with a group of girls I've never met before,” Consible said. “They all became friends.
“Her playing ability speaks for itself,” continued Constuble. It's such a pivotal role as a true ambassador of sports and someone that actually young girls can respect. It goes beyond athletic ability. She is a humble hearted and a real person with the mindset of “I can do this, you can do this, we can do this, we can do this better.” ”
Westerlund was constantly dancing and could not stop his mouth running. Whether it's telling the opposing team about trash, calling the referee, or encouraging teammates. She backed it up with her athleticism and competitiveness.
“I think it's my confidence – that's what makes me stand out,” Westerland said. “My passion for this game is so strong. It's more than just football. It's all about getting into it. I'm always trying to play for a bigger purpose and a bigger reason. I always want to set a great example for other players who are younger but older.”
When Westerland prepared to move to college, Alabama became an easy choice. It was HBCU and appealed to her with her black and Samoan heritage. It allows her to major in fire science, which she wants to use to become a firefighter. Given the program that just launched last year, it provided her with the opportunity to help her build something.
“It meant the world to me,” Westerland said. “Five years ago, I didn't know anything about the flag so I couldn't see myself in this situation. I watch my growth and know that I'm making an impact. And this is a bigger step to opening windows for so many young women.”
For Consible, there is no question that Westerlund's Flag Football Career will expand far beyond Alabama.
“I think she's already on that radar to make that Olympic team in 2028,” Consible said. “If there was an NFL Flag Football program, if it was all male, she would probably make it too. Her work ethic and her willingness is far better than most people of her age. She does everything with such a passionate heart, so the only limitation would be what she gives to herself.”
(Courtesy of US soccer)
Constuble began coaching Flag Football in 2003, when he launched the NFL Flag program in Victorville, California. She coached at the club and high school level, then worked for the Los Angeles Rams Youth Engagement and Football Development Program, where she was hired as an Alabama coach last November. Through her long journey with flag football, the sport has made many advances.
There are currently over 100 countries where flag football is played. From 2014 to 2023, the number of children playing flag football in the United States increased by over 1.6 million (according to USA Football). In the same time frame, the number of girls participating in flag football increased by 44% to over 230,800.
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“I've been investing in this for over 20 years, so it's been a long time for me,” Consible says. “The sport has taken over the hearts of so many young women, and perhaps the young women who are on the sidelines, perhaps watching their father's highlight films, watching their brothers' brothers, cheering on their cousins in the stands, have created a real love for the game. And now we see many of those girls actually have the opportunity to play it on their own.”
Still, when she started in Alabama last November, grassroots level work should be done.
This January, Constuble held an open tryout for her first team. She landed in a group of 26 women, but no one was intended to play flag football when she enrolled in school.
“90% of them have never played flag football,” Constable said. “They really loved football and they knew they wanted to be part of something special.”
Westerlund is expected to advance its charging. If she creates the 2025 US Women's National Team later this month, she will compete in the 2025 IFAF Americas Flag Football Championships.
“And I'm also trying to create an Olympic team. I love representing my country,” Westerland said. “After that, I always want to make an impact whether I'm coaching or playing with it. I want to be a firefighter, but of course I'll make time for football.
“My goal is to just stay committed, be consistent and inspire others.”
(Photo above, courtesy of USA Football)
