GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — In a matchup that once seemed unfathomable, the Green Bay East girls flag football team took on a team from Morocco Thursday morning in Titletown.
“I’m just excited to play with them,” said Sana Zahid who plays for the Moroccan team.
From a deep bomb for a touchdown on the first play, to high fives and good sportsmanship... the scrimmage had it all.
“It’s amazing that we get to play them and the opportunities that they’re giving us today,” a player from Green Bay East said.
Hear from the Moroccan team and players from Green Bay East about what it meant to play together:
Moroccan coach Fouzia Madhouni has loved the game since she went to college, where she then began playing tackle football. She started coaching flag football when her playing days were over and first connected with the Packers three years ago through the Global Sports Mentoring Program.
She is the founder of "We are Morocco," an organization that empowers women.
“I love how football transformed me as a person and also provided me access to a lot of things that I could have never dreamed of,” Madhouni said.
Former Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix traveled to Morocco to help grow the sport for women.
“They see coaching from a different perspective, which is from the pro perspective, and now they are all hyped about their experiences and know that there’s something bigger that they should promote,” Madhouni said.
Madhouni, after her time in Green Bay in 2022, kept in contact with people in the Packers organization and was thrilled to bring her team to Titletown to play football and showcase their culture.
She said not every player team from Morocco was able to make it overseas, however.
“It’s a great feeling to know that flag football is being recognized not only for women but on a professional level," Madhouni said. "The girls can compete at the regional level, and it’s in the Olympics now, so we can brag about it."
The girls at Green Bay East, who defeated the Moroccan team 32-8 on Thursday, said they are hoping to be pioneers of the sport at their school.
“We’re hoping to start something at East. So anybody at East, c’mon. We’re willing to take you,” one of the players said.
On Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., the Packers will host free girls flag football camps at the Titletown football field.
The team from Morocco will wrap up their time in Green Bay by watching the Packers in their first preseason game on Saturday night against the New York Jets.
