By: Isabella Langner 

Center Editor 

As women’s sports generate popularity across the country, the Bay Area has joined in with women’s teams in recent years, such as Bay Area Football Club and the Golden State Valkyries. This spring, the Women’s National Football Club (WNFC) unveiled its newest franchise: the Golden State Storm. 

The name and logo represent the surrounding Bay Area, including Berkeley Blue and California Gold. The logo depicts the face of a woman between the Golden Gate Bridge. The franchise’s goal is to inspire the next generation of flag football players, fostering movement and energy. The team is set to start its season in 2026, with tryouts beginning on Sept. 21 at the Oakland Roots Training Facility. The two following days of tryouts are on Oct. 5 and 18. 

The Golden State Storm unveiled its board of advisors on Aug. 4, featuring well-known figures in the sports world, including retired football players Jeff Garcia and Reggie Stevens and San Jose Earthquakes general manager Chris Leitch. The Golden State Storm announced their head coach, Dallas Hartwell, on Aug. 11. Hartwell has coached football at multiple high schools, including Marin Catholic in Kentfield and Terra Linda in Rafael, California.

So far, the franchise has focused on connecting with the surrounding community. Most of their efforts have been with high school flag football teams, as they started out sending welcome boxes to many programs. The Golden State Storm is also one of the newest sponsors of LGHS football. On Sept. 5, Guppy Uppal, the director of communications, and co-workers attended the Oakland First Fridays street festival. They set up a booth with Golden State Storm merchandise, a wheel for people to spin and win a prize, and handed out wristbands, stickers, and more. On Sept. 21, they set up a similar booth at Sunday Streets San Francisco. This festival cleared 1.4 miles of streets in the Western Addition between 12 and 4 PM. Upcoming events the team is attending include the Charger Showdown at Wilcox High School on Sept. 26 and 27.

The Golden State Storm’s ongoing program, the Golden State Showdown, spans over the high school flag football season, highlighting three matchups a week. Their website posts a pregame preview detailing each game’s time, location, and importance. For one chosen match, the coverage team makes a special visit to the site, setting up a table and capturing media. The Golden State Storm then generates a post game article to share highlights and scores.

As the Golden State Storm increases their presence in the Bay, the team reflects a broader movement promoting women’s flag football.