Big Plays, Big Spirit at GRIC’s First NFL FLAG Tournament
February 13, 2026
Emma Hughes
Community Newsperson
The first all-Indigenous NFL FLAG tournament brought families, former Cardinals players and Community leaders together to celebrate sports, wellness and oportunity
Youth in and around the Gila River Indian Community had the chance to participate in the inaugural all-Indigenous NFL FLAG football tournament on Jan. 31 at the Sacaton Fairgrounds. The event was hosted by the Tribal Recreation and Wellness Department in partnership with Arizona Cardinals Youth Football Development and Gila River Resorts & Casinos.
“Today is our big end-of-season tournament, and in partnership with the Cardinals, we've been running our NFL FLAG league for five weeks now. We're ending our season with this great event and partnership with the Cardinals,” said Sonja Luevano, recreation manager for Tribal Recreation and Wellness (TRW).
The tournament featured single-elimination brackets for the 6U, 8U, 10U, 12U and 15U divisions, with players ranging from ages 3 to 15. The winning teams were:
• 6U Champs – Bengals
• 8U Champs – Cardinals
• 10U Champs – Dolphins
• 15U Champs – Cardinals
More than 140 youth competed in the tournament, and every participant walked away with either a special collaborative Cardinals medal or a championship ring.
Special guests included former Cardinals players Andre Roberts, Hamza Abdullah, JJ Nelson and Xavier Williams, along with team mascot Big Red. Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and Lt. Gov. Regina Antone also attended to support the youth.
The former players spoke to participants about their athletic journeys, encouraged them to stay active in sports and took part in a meet-and-greet photo opportunity.
“One of our longest partnerships in the Valley is with Gila River, so it means a lot to us to come out here and support the Gila River Indian Community and really expand our efforts in youth flag football,” said Katelyn Stys, senior manager of partnership marketing for the Arizona Cardinals.
She explained that over the last three to five years, youth football and flag football have been major initiatives for both the Cardinals and the NFL.
“It’s really exciting to see a three-way partnership between the NFL, the Cardinals and Gila River all come together here today.”
An integral part of the program is the volunteer coaches who support the youth. Luevano shared that when she began working with TRW, there were only four Community-member coaches in GRIC.
“They would coach every single sport, so we made it a mission to develop coaches in the Community first,” Luevano said. “We were able to get up to 51 coaches that we now work with in the Community, and we’re trying to provide them the tools to be successful.”
She added that with robust recreational programming, communities’ statistical data shows a 38% to 48% drop in juvenile delinquency and violent crimes.
“We look at the work we do here in the Community as more than providing an outlet for kids to play a sport. We’re looking at it as an opportunity to create healing and wellness in the Community through sports,” Luevano said. “We work really hard to make sure every event we put on is welcoming and provides an opportunity for people—regardless of skill level or physical or mental disabilities—to participate.”
The Gila River Indian Community and Arizona Cardinals Youth Football program continue working together to expand access to high-quality youth sports programs, ensuring Indigenous youth have meaningful opportunities to learn, compete and thrive.