For many athletes, the biggest challenge is mastering their sport. For Allison Gandlin, a rising star in the world of women’s flag football, the challenge has been just as much spiritual as physical, balancing her passion for the game with a growing commitment to keeping Shabbat.
“I always considered myself athletic because I danced,” Gandlin said, reflecting on her early years. “I danced for 10 years but never really got the chance to play an organized team sport. Then in middle school, I started throwing around a football and I didn’t want to leave the courtyard.”
From backyard football games to national championships, Gandlin’s rise was rapid and unexpected. She joined a local recreational league, which soon led to being scouted for a travel team composed of the league’s top players. “Out of nowhere, we started winning national titles and getting a lot of recognition,” she said. “First as the team, and then as individual players.”
As her reputation grew in the flag football world, her spiritual journey also began. Raised in a secular Jewish household, Gandlin said, “All I knew was that I was Jewish, and I got some Chanukah gifts once a year with some family.”
Everything changed for Gandlin when her “brother went on Birthright, then did a J-internship, and eventually studied at yeshiva. He became frum and married a frum girl,” she explained. “They had a huge impact on my life. He said, ‘I want you to get to know me and my life.’ And obviously the best way to do that, especially in terms of family, is Shabbat.”
She began spending Shabbat with them and gradually learned more about Orthodox Judaism. Over time, she took on mitzvot, starting with tzniut, then kashrut, then shomer negiah. Now, she’s actively working on observing Shabbat.
Laughing, she admitted the order of things may seem unconventional. “Flag football has defined me for so long that now it’s very hard to try and take something on that feels like it clashes with it,” she said. “That’s why Shabbat came last. And even right now, I struggle with it. I’m still trying to figure out my relationship with it.”
That tension came to a head after her first season with the New York Wolves in the Women’s Football Alliance, a semi-pro tackle league. Gandlin had just won MVP and helped her team clinch the division title. But despite the success, it did not sit right with her. “I realized that I didn’t think this would be doable for me in the long run,” she said. “I left the team last year because I knew if I wanted to keep Shabbat, it just wouldn’t be possible.”
The league’s games were all on Saturdays. Even if they were scheduled late in the day, there wasn’t enough time to prepare or travel without compromising observance. “It just wouldn’t have worked out,” she said. “But everyone respected it. They said, ‘If you ever need that community again, we got you.’”
Gandlin’s love for the sport did not disappear. Instead, she pivoted. Now a student at Rutgers, she works for the Rutgers tackle football team and is starting a flag football team for the university, and continues to play in tournaments with teams like the Staten Island Giants — when timing allows.
“There are tournaments that span Saturday and Sunday. I either don’t play Saturday and just play Sunday, or I opt out entirely,” she explained. “I’ve had to turn down tournaments and tryouts because of it.”
One particularly challenging moment came during tryouts for the U.S. National Flag Football Team. The tryouts ran from Friday through Sunday. “I made it to a host family in North Carolina for Friday night, lit candles, had dinner and slept there,” she recounted. “But in the morning, I had a panic attack. I felt like I needed to go, and I didn’t keep Shabbat that time.”
It is a raw and honest confession and one Gandlin does not shy away from. “Going through that struggle reminded me where I want to end up. Even though I might not be there right now … eventually I will get there. I still have that firm belief.”
Recently, Ken Goffstein, who runs the Bergen County Girls Flag Football League, learned that Gandlin had become more religious. “I knew who she was,” said Goffstein. “She’s a household name in the girls’ flag football world.” In fact, Gandlin was named the first-ever NFL Flag Football Player of the Year in 2024—a tremendous honor.
“What I didn’t know was that she was Jewish, let alone on a spiritual journey toward a more observant lifestyle. When I found out, I immediately reached out to her on social media to see if she’d be willing to attend our spring season opening day clinic. I knew how meaningful her presence would be for many of our players. She was incredibly kind and loved the idea. Sure enough, it was a wonderful success—she was a tremendous hit,” Goffstein said.
To other young Jewish athletes facing similar challenges, Gandlin offered advice rooted in experience and self-compassion. “Be patient with yourself. Don’t feel pressure to make a sudden change. Humans are not made to make sudden changes, we’re meant to adapt, to grow and to learn slowly,” she said. “There’s always a way to marry your relationship with God and your passion. You just have to find it.”
For Gandlin, that path might include playing for Team Israel one day. “Being surrounded by people who understand, even if not everyone’s religious, makes it easier,” she said. “That’s the whole point of a Jewish community. There’s always, always a way.”
And as for the sport that has shaped so much of her identity? “One of my chavrutas told me, ‘How dare you not use the gift God gave you.’ You need to use it as a tool, not an obstacle. Use it to help others — and yourself — get closer to God.”
Allison Gandlin’s journey is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: whether on the field or in her faith, she is not backing down from the tough plays.
Rachel Abramchayev is the assistant editor at The Jewish Link.
