Photo: Andy Keith Photo
In sports, tales of resilience, preparation, and unyielding determination shine brightest and capture the imagination of fans. One such story unfolded for Kellie Barrett, Defensive captain of the Great Britain Women’s Flag Football Team. From the highs of victory to the lows of defeat, Kellie, and the GB Women’s Flag Team’s path to glory in the IFAF European Flag Football Championships of 2023 is a testament to an unwavering spirit that propels athletes to greatness. Despite facing challenges, including a global pandemic, and taking on powerhouse opponents, Kellie’s unwavering resolve and steadfast leadership helped guide her team to the gold medal.
IFAF = International Federation of American Football is the international governing body for the sport of American Football
The path to European gold in 2023 began in 2019 with a stunning victory over an Austrian team previously deemed unbeatable. This triumph marked a pivotal moment for the determined underdog GB Women’s Flag team, propelling them into the final against Spain. Remarkably, fate would bring these two teams together once more four years later.
Kellie and the team had their momentum halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to difficult choices regarding whether they should attend the World Championships in Israel in 2021, a decision was made for them not to attend due to the pandemic. This setback did not deter their positive mindset and relentlessness to achieve World Number 1 status as countless days on and off the pitch went into preparing themselves for the next tournament set for Limerick, Ireland in 2023.
“Gelling off the field so we are best mates on the field” Kellie explains was a personal mission statement that she describes as one of the keys to their success. By taking the time to get to know every squad member and putting countless hours into striking up relationships then in Kellie’s mind, “you ensure everyone has everyone’s back”.
Kellie describes a build-up to the European Championships in 2023 where no stone was left unturned to ensure they were fully prepared for what she describes as a “frantic three-day tournament”. The introduction of “players-only sessions” allowed them to focus on what they felt was important, an emphasis being that this was one team, not a team made up of two units (offence and defence). It seems the coaches and support staff were also bought in as Kellie explains how GB training camps were split into on-field workouts during the day and team bonding exercises in the evenings on both days. Although there was a seriousness behind the method, it did not stop them from enjoying themselves along the way, “you want a facemask? We called it Kellie’s Spa!” Kellie delights.
Photo: Andy Keith Photo
Their obsession with being prepared was duplicated by their coaches and support staff where Kellie observed the countless hours put into preparing film breakdowns and providing the players with the feedback they needed to prepare for their opponents. Kellie also reflects on how organised sessions were and how she was surprised by how much the coaches knew about each opponent before the players turned up to their film sessions. Kellie felt it gave them confidence to go out on the field and execute what the coaches told them. “The coaches don’t always have the time to look after us. We felt as if we can look after each other [as players] then that will help the coaches”.
Kellie highlights that they were keen to learn from their experience at the European Championships in Israel in 2019. The frantic nature of the 3-day tournament provided the team with a lot to reflect on. “Ensuring we get downtime to recover” Kellie reflects “and learning from 2019 when was best to do warm-ups to be ready to go” where Kellie suggests they did not get it quite right in 2019. So, they ensured they adapted their schedule appropriately going into the 2023 tournament.
Photo: Andy Keith Photo
As if they needed any extra motivation going into the tournament, then the IFAF rankings were released for tournament seedings, and Great Britain was 20th. “I couldn’t believe it!” Kellie explains, “In 2019 we came second, we beat a team that hadn’t lost in 10 years, Austria, we had lost in the group stages, but our coaches gave us everything we needed to beat them in the semi-finals”. Kellie describes a team who were determined to prove everyone wrong that they deserved to be ranked higher. “I thought, don't sleep on us. We have had four years of preparation for this and we are hungrier than ever to put GB back on the map”.
The path to the final was not plain sailing, on Day 1 they finished with two wins and one loss, disappointingly losing to Czechia 40-44, but the day was bookended by a good win against a strong France team and a mauling of Sweden 60-6. “We needed that loss, it taught us a lesson, it reminded us of what losing felt like and told us this isn’t going to be easy,” says Kellie who gives a lot of credit to the coaches and support staff who were able to adjust during the tournament to suit the players needs following that loss. “We took a step back and analysed what went wrong and we identified that the preparation for that game wasn’t good enough and it needed to change”.
The second and final day of the group stages ended in a clean sweep of victories including a win over one of the favourites Italy 21-15. Kellie describes the Italy game being the turning point “It was a back-and-forth game; I think we were 2 points up and they had the ball past the halfway line, and we looked at each other and said ‘this is the time girls’ and we found we thrived under that pressure”. Little did they know they would be faced with a very similar scenario in the final.
Day 3 was always going to be difficult with mental and physical stamina being tested against some of the best teams in Europe. In the quarterfinal GB comprehensively beat Finland 40-0 and then a rematch against France in the semi-final saw them repeat their success and book a place in the final against old foes from 2019, Spain.
The team had confidence going into the final against Spain having gone through several tough challenges already in the tournament and Kellie reflects how she felt before and during the final. “I just had a feeling, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I felt a sense of calm and I was ready for it. The Men’s team were incredible. You could hear them during the final and it made you feel as if everyone was behind you, and I like that!”
Following a touchdown and a one-point conversion from Brittany Botterill to Phoebe Schecter both made the score 26-19 to GB and left Spain with 11 seconds to drive down the field to snatch the gold medal from GB. But GB had seen this scenario multiple times before in the tournament. The final drive from Spain came down to a final 3rd down play, a Hail Mary into the endzone where it would be missed by everyone to secure GB the gold medal, the first in their history.
As the team revelled in the glory of their hard-fought gold medal, Kellie, a steadfast captain, stood at the forefront of their triumph. Coincidentally, her personal journey shared striking similarities with the team’s arduous path to victory, embodying the resilience and determination that characterised their collective pursuit of the gold medal. “Last year, on a personal level I had a terrible year mental health-wise and struggled to get myself to Euros”. But Kellie would be inspired by her coaches who encouraged her and motivated her by entrusting her with the responsibility of Defensive captain and she wanted to repay that trust.
Photo: Andy Keith Photo
Looking back on her role in the tournament Kellie describes a role that reflects that of an assistant coach within the playing group. Kellie describes feeling responsible for the other players. Brittany Botterill, Offensive captain, and Kellie wanted to ensure the new players to the team felt welcome and seamlessly folded into the team keeping up the hard work put into team cohesion and mental strength. On top of that, they ensured that everyone within the team was ok during the fast-paced tournament ensuring that players were making smart decisions regarding their rest time.
“I needed the tournament! I was struggling [away from football], calling coaches all the time just to talk and they supported me really well.” Kellie describes how she felt immediately before the tournament but assesses eight months later that her performance during the tournament may have been spurred on by how eagerness to take part in the tournament and is proud of how she and her team have been able to overcome so many challenges in the past four years.
Looking ahead to the World Championships in Finland later this year Kellie is aware that greater challenges await them “We won’t be playing the same teams we see in all our normal tournaments, we will now be coming across the likes of America, Mexico and Panama and it’s a new level, we will need to change our preparation for the different style of football”. But Kellie suggests there many ways in which they can meet those challenges and they have a goal in mind already “For us it is always gold!”. When considering all the adversity the GB Women’s Flag Football team has overcome and the upward trajectory they have taken since 2019, who would put it past them?
The triumph of the GB Women’s Flag Football Team stands as a testament to the strong spirit of athletes who refuse to yield in the face of adversity. As they look ahead to the challenges of the World Championships and even further to the Olympics in 2028, one thing remains certain: the GB Women’s Flag Football Team will continue to inspire with their unwavering determination, camaraderie, and pursuit of excellence.