Troy 12-Year-Old Competes In National Flag Football Program

TROY - A Troy 12-year-old was scouted to play in a national flag football program.

Emma Hannah began playing flag football through the Champions Sports Academy last year. After attending a Talent ID camp in Indianapolis, she was selected for the 2025 National Team Development Program Select Bowl in the 12U girls division in California, where she competed against girls from across the country with USA Football scouts watching.

“It was so much fun. It was a really great experience,” Hannah said. “It was hard at some points, but I never gave up.”

Andre Collins, a coach through Champions Sports Academy, helped start Troy’s flag football program last September. He immediately noticed Hannah’s discipline and sportsmanship. She would thank the coaches after every practice, which, Collins noted, is rare, and her commitment to the team was admirable.

“Emma stood out immediately to us, just her attention to detail and always wanting more,” Collins said. “Her mental makeup is, to me, beyond her years.”

Collins and his fellow coaches were on the lookout for opportunities for their athletes when Collins discovered the Talent ID camp in Indianapolis, where Hannah excelled. Her parents, major football fans themselves, were more than happy to make the trip to California when they learned she had been chosen for the National Team Development Program Select Bowl. Only 48 girls across the country were invited to participate.

But three weeks before the trip, Hannah faced a hurdle: She broke her finger during a practice. Additionally, it became clear that Hannah was “definitely the new guy” on the field, her mother said. Most of the athletes had played for years, while flag football is relatively new to the Metro East region.

“But I caught up to them,” Hannah shared. “It was really good, and I just had fun with it. I met a lot of new people. I made some good friends and have a lot to bring back to this team.”

Hannah traveled to Carson, California, on June 18 and returned to Troy on June 21, 2025. USA Football hosted the event.

Collins noted that Hannah is now “in the funnel” alongside some of the top flag football players in the U.S. With flag football set to become an Olympic sport, this is a major opportunity.

That — providing opportunities — is Collins’s ultimate goal, and why he has dedicated himself to introducing flag football at Triad High School, Edwardsville High School, and a few other schools in the region. He noted that more and more colleges are starting flag football teams and offering scholarships, and he wants his athletes to have all the chances they can.

“What we want to do is just give our girls every opportunity possible so they can take that next step, whatever that might be,” he said. “We want our kids to get opportunities like this so they can gain exposure and ultimately use this sport to pay for college.”

Hannah, who also plays volleyball and soccer and runs track and cross-country, is looking forward to playing in a new flag football league, set to begin later this year. She hopes to make the flag football team in high school, but in the meantime, she’s simply enjoying the sport and taking the wins as they come.

“I’m really excited and I’m just so glad that this happened in my town,” Hannah said. “And then I literally got to go to California for it, so it was a really good opportunity.”

Collins is proud of Hannah and eager to push her to her next goal. He knows she will continue to work hard and succeed.

“We believe with our kids, let’s set your goals really high, but then let’s put some action behind it, too,” he added. “That’s what Emma has done. She’s put some action behind her dreams.”

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