KENOSHA, Wis. -- Parkside Director of Athletics Adam Schemm '08 has named Jared Cardarelle as the inaugural head coach of the Parkside Women's Flag Football program.
 
"Jared is the right person to lead this new venture for Parkside and build our women's flag football program from the ground up, "said Schemm. "He is a proven program builder that embodies the character, work ethic, and integrity that we value at Parkside. We are excited welcome Jared to the Parkside team."

Cardarelle joins Parkside after four seasons as Head Coach of the Women's Flag Football program at Bryant & Stratton College in Wauwatosa, where he was responsible for all aspects of the program. At Bryant & Stratton, Cardarelle built the inaugural women's flag football program, which culminated in an 8-4 record last spring for Bobcats.
 
"I'm thankful to Dr. Akey and Mr. Schemm for this incredible opportunity. As the first head coach of a scholarship flag football program in Wisconsin, I'm honored to build this program at Parkside and expand the game across my home state, "said Cardarelle.
 
A 2012 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College, Cardarelle also has experience coaching football at Tabor College in Kansas. The Wisconsin native played college football as a wide receiver at Wisconsin Lutheran College.
 
The women's flag football program will begin competition in the 2026-27 academic year, bringing Parkside Athletics to 17 total varsity sport programs.
 
At the high school level, girls' flag football has experienced a surge of participation nationwide, with 15 states already sanctioning the sport and many more running pilot programs. Nearly 50,000 girls played high school flag football in 2024-25, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Sixteen state high school athletic associations have sanctioned girls flag football for 2025-26, while another 18 states are offering independent or pilot programs.
 
Women's flag football also has a global spotlight on the horizon, with the sport set to debut as an Olympic event in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.