The Bears traveled to London Thursday alongside the New York Jets to kick off the second season of their UK NFL Girls Flag League ahead of International Women's Day.Â

The Bears' support of the IHSA tournament came off the heels of the club's trip to London where they promoted girls flag football through a variety of international initiatives including the European Girls Flag Tournament, celebrating three champion teams from Bears-sponsored leagues in the United Kingdom and more.

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The Bears on Wednesday hosted a press conference at Halas Hall to announce that girls flag football is officially an IHSA-sanctioned sport and will begin its State Series this fall.

For Murphy, it was rewarding to see her favorite sport being played and enjoyed by young girls across the state. The day reminded her of how impactful trying a new sport in high school was to her adolescence.

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The Bears have played an integral role in supporting girls flag football throughout the past four years. Take a look at the notable moments that have culminated in the IHSA making girls flag football an official sport beginning this fall.

The Illinois High School Association held the inaugural State Championship just eight months after sanctioning the sport. While 154 teams competed in the state series this season, just eight teams advanced to championship weekend at Willowbrook High School. William Fremd earned the first-ever IHSA Flag Football State Champion title after defeating Guilford 24-12 Saturday.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Monday the addition of men's and women's flag football to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Growing flag football worldwide continues to be a key initiative for the NFL, with the Bears being one of the teams at the forefront of the movement.

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Silva and the Bears are excited to see both state-wide and international growth of girls flag football as the sport nears its Olympic Games debut in the summer of 2028.

The Bears, led by manager of youth and high school football Gustavo Silva, were catalysts in girls flag football's rapid growth across Illinois. They helped expand the program from 22 teams in 2022 and anticipate more than 200 teams in 2025. Now, the club is focused on the equity aspect of girls flag football, which includes additional coaching, officiating, attention and college scholarship opportunities.

Ikeguchi—who was killed in an encounter with law enforcement after fleeing the scene—had “yelled many homophobic slurs” toward Carleton before attacking her, and had previously posted anti-LGBTQ+ content on social media, police said.

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"George was working really hard. Those down and distance guys are up and down the field," Murphy added. "In typical George fashion — very humble, didn't want any of the attention on him. But I think it's amazing that it just shows the support that our club gives to this program when the chairman will come out and having a working role on game day."

"It was incredible to be part of the first IHSA State Championship and witness the sport's growth and impact since 2022," Silva said. "The Bears are focused on providing continued support, celebrating the girls and empowering them to have the same platform as the boys do. Sanctioning was a milestone, but it's not the end."

Juliana Zavala, senior manager of elementary sports for Chicago Public Schools, has won the Bears' 2023 Inspire Change Changemaker Award and will be honored at the team's Dec. 24 game at Soldier Field.

The Bears welcomed five Illinois high school girls flag football programs to Halas Hall Tuesday to watch a training camp practice and participate in a clinic inside the Walter Payton Center.

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The Lane Tech girls flag football team took home the state title Sunday night as the Bears hosted the second annual championships inside the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall over the weekend.

Diana Flores - star quarterback of the world champion Mexico Women's National Flag Football Team – was the surprise guest of the third annual girls flag football jamboree hosted by the Bears and Chicago Public League.

The impact Chicago Public League senior manager of elementary sports Juliana Zavala has made on the growth of girls flag football in high schools throughout state of Illinois culminated in her earning the Bears' 2023 Inspire Change Changemaker Award.

The American Heart Association and Greta Warren — wife of President & CEO Kevin Warren — helped host the training for those in attendance. In addition to the hands-on learning, each team received its own CPR training kit and a grant to purchase an automated external defibrillator (AED).

"We know this is just the beginning for girls flag football, not only in the Chicagoland community, but across the globe," Silva added. "The Bears are eager to keep providing new opportunities to young athletes and expand the reach of girls flag while promoting equity in football."

San Bernardino County police responded to reports of a shooting at the Cedar Glen-based Mag.Pi, a clothing store owned by Carleton, who was pronounced dead at the scene on Friday. Ikeguchi fled from the scene before being fatally shot by police close to a nearby highway. Carleton—who did not identify as LGBTQ+—had previously displayed larger Pride flags outside of her store any time the flags were torn down, according to the New York Times.

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Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Monday that Ikeguchi had posted anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-law enforcement material across X, formerly known as Twitter, and Gab, including a pinned post of a video of a burning Pride flag.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department noted it was still investigating what motivated Ikeguchi to carry out the attack.

While the Bears didn't play host to the championship game for the first time since the sport's inception in 2022, the club continued to show its support.

On June 5, the Bears hosted their third annual Scout School — a program started by general manager Ryan Poles that gives students an opportunity to learn about the roles of college and professional scouts in an NFL organization.

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Along with supporting the state tournament, the Bears also held a free flag football clinic for middle school girls and provided CPR training for more than 100 players and coaches across nine schools before the games began.

Paul Feig—who created Freaks and Geeks and directed Bridesmaids—described Carleton as a “wonderful friend.” Feig noted Carelton was a “true ally” for the LGTBQ+ community and said anyone who uses hateful language toward the community “can inspire violence against innocent loving people.”

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The Bears hosted the first-ever All-State dinner at Halas Hall November 29 to honor 56 of the top Illinois girls flag football student-athletes.

San Bernardino police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Travis Ikeguchi, who had “made several disparaging remarks” about a Pride flag hung outside a store owned by Laura Ann Carleton before fatally shooting her on Friday.

Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+—a local community group—said Carleton would be “truly missed” after she “spent time helping and advocating for everyone in the community.” The group also recognized Mag.Pi as a “business ally.” Carleton is survived by her “blended family,” according to her store’s website, including her husband of 28 years and nine children.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department identified a suspect Monday in the fatal shooting of a 66-year-old woman who was confronted over a Pride flag displayed in front of her store last week—an incident that comes amid a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ harassment in recent years across the U.S.

Silva was joined Saturday by chief operating officer and executive vice president of stadium development Karen Murphy and chairman George H. McCaskey. Murphy served as the honorary captain at the title game while McCaskey served on the officiating crew in both semifinal games and the championship contest.

Murphy was also able to watch McCaskey — who has officiated other sanctioned sports around Illinois for years — in his element.

There were at least 145 incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ hate and extremism across the U.S. during Pride events in June, a 202% increase over the previous year’s total of 45, according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Anti-Defamation League. This included 102 incidents of harassment, 37 incidents of vandalism and six incidents of assault, including the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Akira Ross, who was gay. Between June 2022 and April 2023, both organizations documented at least 356 incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ extremism. It follows a broader increase in hate crimes reported by the FBI from 2020 to 2021, including based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security reported an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ threats earlier this year. The Human Rights Campaign, citing increased threats of violence and “an unprecedented wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation” this year, declared a national state of emergency in June for Americans who identified as LGBTQ+.

"I was really proud to see all of the hard work of the athletes and coaches come together," Murphy said. "To be part of the inaugural IHSA game was absolutely amazing. I was the beneficiary of Title IX and I played on my high school's first-ever golf and soccer teams, so I have a deep appreciation for the power of sport and what it means, especially for women ... all of the important life skills of confidence, humility, camaraderie that come with it. It was amazing. I was emotional because I thought, 'wow, this is the start of something amazing.'"