Rockville Native Named US Women's Flag Football Team Assistant Coach

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Rockville native has been named to the coaching staff of the U.S. Women’s Flag National Team, which represents the U.S. in international competitions, USA Football said Thursday.

Mary Kate Bula won two medals with the U.S. National Team as a player before becoming a coach. As the team's assistant coach, Bula will play a role in the U.S. National Team's preparation for the 2024 IFAF Flag World Championship in Lahti, Finland in August.

U.S. National Team Trials take place from March 1-3 on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Sixty men and 60 women will participate in athletic testing and practice sessions with the hope of advancing to National Team Training Camps in June and July.

Only 18 men and 18 women will advance from trials to training camp before the final 12-athlete rosters are selected ahead of the Flag Football World Championships.

Both the U.S. Men’s Flag National Team and U.S. Women’s Flag National Team won gold medals at the 2023 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s campus. Seven countries competed in the 2023 championship.

U.S. Women’s Flag National Team head coach Saaid Mortazavi returns for his second year with the team. This is Bula's first year as assistant coach. The women’s team has won the past two IFAF Flag World Championships.

Bula, who currently lives in Charlotte, was a defensive back with the U.S. Women’s Flag National Team in 2021 and 2022. She was a member of the team that defeated Mexico 31-21 in Jerusalem, Israel at the 2021 IFAF Flag World Championship.

The following year, Bula and the U.S. won silver medals at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. Prior to her international playing career, Bula won three National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association Regional Flag Football Championships during her time at Towson University.

USA Football is the governing body of American football in the U.S., the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee.