- June 3, 2026
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This wasn’t exactly how Maddie Baehr drew it up.
For her entire athletic career, flag football sat lower than soccer on her totem pole. She dreamed of playing internationally with a ball at her feet — not in her hands.
When she answered a phone call in late April, though, it wasn’t a soccer coach on the other end. A different opportunity presented itself.
Baehr was selected to the Ireland Flag Football Women’s National Team and competed from May 30-31 at Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The 18-year-old Lakewood Ranch resident graduated from Braden River High School May 19.
She played wide receiver and running back for the team in a reserve role, recording three receptions, two carries and a touchdown. Ireland lost to Sweden, 24-21, before defeating the Netherlands and Sweden by 39-14 and 31-20 scores, respectively.
Two days after receiving her diploma, she flew out for training camp before participating in the friendly tournament — won by Ireland — which was sanctioned by the International Federation of American Football.
That’s the same organization which will run qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Flag football will make its debut at those Games.
“I always thought it was going to be soccer,” Baehr said. “I never thought it was going to be flag (football), but once I learned that was a possibility, I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to capitalize on.”
Her ethnic origin, thanks to her grandmother, Sheila Roy, includes Ireland. Roy, was born in Ireland, and passed it down through Baehr’s mother, Mary Baehr, and then to Maddie.
The Baehr family took trips to Ireland during their daughter’s upbringing. She went as an infant, 8-year-old and 15-year-old, but their visit in December 2025 was a bit different.
Her father, Matt Baehr, connected with Ireland National Team Coach Alan Barnewell on that trip. Matt Baehr's ears perked up when he heard the team would be holding tryouts in February.
There was a long phone call with Barnewell, before the Baehrs made the commitment to send their daughter to Ireland for flag football tryouts.
“Maddie embodies the spirit of Irish sport — resilience, dedication and pride in her roots,” said Barnewell in a press release. “Despite being based in the United States, she has shown exceptional commitment to traveling to Ireland to train and compete. We are excited about her future and proud to have her represent Ireland.”
Soccer, though, was Baehr’s first love. It's still the one which burns brightest of the two.
She’ll play for McNeese State — an NCAA Division I program — in the fall. Over the past four years, she played for Braden River girls soccer and was a midfielder as a senior, serving as co-captain alongside fellow senior defender/midfielder Natalie Davis.
Baehr recorded six goals and eight assists for the Pirates this past season. They finished 11-4-3 en route to the FHSAA Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals, but in 2025, got to the regional final.
“It's such a team game, and with the creativity that soccer has, I think it's unlike any other sport,” Baehr said. “I've tried a lot of sports, but soccer is the most physically challenging. It's definitely rewarding when you push your body to the limit and get results you want.”
When she started high school, she contemplated joining track and field. That would’ve offered conditioning during the spring while high school soccer is in the offseason.
Amanda Porco, the then-Braden River flag football coach, had something else in mind.
She attended some of Baehr’s games during the 2022-23 season. Her purpose there was to support existing flag football athletes who also played soccer, but an unfamiliar face captured her attention.
As the coach watched those contests transpire, her analytical eyes locked onto Baehr. She turned from supporter to recruiter.
Porco had identified an intriguing addition to her team.
“She was very fast, quick to react, and the emotions she showed during soccer games told me she played to win," Porco said. "A lot of these kids are growing up in a "participation trophy" atmosphere, but Maddie has the drive to compete at a high level and wants to win.”
Porco promptly approached Baehr with the proposition of joining flag football. She had to do some convincing, though.
The then-freshman didn’t necessarily jump at the idea.
“I was like, ‘You're crazy. Why would I do that?’” Baehr said. “She was pretty persistent. And then once I started playing, I just fell in love with it.”
In 2023, Braden River flag football reached the 1A-2 regional final and finished 14-3. Baehr led the team with 81 solo flag pulls as a linebacker.
Her sophomore year was even more memorable. The Pirates got all the way to the 1A state semifinals as she recorded 71 solo flag pulls — another team-high — to cap an 18-2 season.
Porco and her staff departed the program after 2024, but in the years since, her connection with Baehr has remained strong.
“I get weekly calls from her to this day to discuss plays and concepts that she is learning now with the Irish team,” Porco said. “She is one who wants to know and understand the 'why' behind each play call and then will break down the plays to understand how to get better.”
This was never Baehr’s primary sport. Soccer dictates her future.
It earned her a scholarship to play at the Division I level.
Flag football, though, has allowed her to go international, and it raises some interesting possibilities with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics just over two years away.
