Silvia Contreras

Silvia Contreras
Personal information
Full nameSilvia Yolanda Contreras Medina[1]
Born1993 (age 32–33)
Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico
Home townTijuana, Baja California, Mexico
EducationCETYS (Lic.)
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Weight64 kg (141 lb)[2]
Sport
SportFlag football
PositionWide receiver / center / safety
College teamOsas CETYS
ClubOsas Flag Football
TeamOsas de Monterrey
Medal record
Women's flag football
Representing  Mexico
World Games
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamTeam
Gold medal – first place2025 ChengduTeam
IFAF World Championship
Silver medal – second place2021 JerusalemTeam
Silver medal – second place2024 LahtiTeam
IFAF Americas Continental Championship
Silver medal – second place2023 CharlotteTeam

Silvia Yolanda Contreras Medina (born 1993) is a Mexican flag football player. She captains the Mexico women's national flag football team and is a two-time World Games gold medalist in 2022 and 2025.

A member of the national team since 2018, Contreras has also won two silver medals at the IFAF World Championship in 2021 and 2024, as well as a silver medal at the inaugural IFAF Americas Continental Championship in 2023. At the national level, she started her own club team in Tijuana, Osas Flag Football, and helps to promote the sport on social media.

Early life

Contreras was born in 1993[3] in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, and moved with her family to the border city of Tijuana, Baja California, at age three.[4] Her mother encouraged her to stay active in her youth, no matter the sport, leading her to participate in gymnastics, basketball, and athletics throughout primary school.[5] Coming into high school, Contreras was initially interested in becoming a cheerleader.[5][6] Instead, in 2009 she accompanied a friend to a tryout for her school's first-ever flag football team: "I went with her to see what it was about, and I fell in love with it right away."[7] Claro Sports described Contreras as a "pioneer in Baja California" in the sport.[6]

"The first training session we didn't see or do anything concerning flag football. It was pure conditioning and physical but I liked it and I came back the next day, then the next, and so on until today, 14 years later." – Contreras in 2024 discussing her first training sessions in high school[8]

Contreras attended the Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS), Tijuana campus, where she played college flag football for the Osas CETYS Tijuana,[9] contributing to the team's 2014 Liga de Futbol Americano de Banderas Femenil (LIFA) championship.[10][11] She earned her licentiate degree in marketing administration in 2016.[12]

Career

Club career

In 2014, Contreras helped the Baja California representative team win the inaugural Torneo del Sol women's 5v5 tournament in Hermosillo.[13]

After graduating from college, Contreras and her friends started their own Tijuana-based club, Osas Flag Football, with Contreras serving as club president and team captain.[14] In 2018, Cadena Noticias reported that she had won "close to 30 [Baja California] state titles".[5] Contreras helped the Osas win the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano (FMFA) national title in 2019.[14][15] The following year, she helped the team win the women's flag football championship at the International Bowl in Arlington, Texas, United States.[14][16] She won another FMFA national title with Baja California in 2022.[17][18]

In 2024, Contreras was selected by the Dinos de Saltillo ahead of the inaugural LFA Torneo de Flag Football Femenil Profesional, sponsored by the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA).[19] She returned for the second LFA tournament in 2025,[20] this time joining the Osas de Monterrey.[21]

In 2026, Contreras helped the Baja California representative team win the inaugural Nacional Élite Flag Football tournament, organized by the FMFA.[22]

International career

Contreras earned her first call-up to the Mexico women's national flag football team in 2018.[7] She took part in that year's IFAF Flag Football World Championship held in Panama, helping the Mexican team to a fourth-place finish.[5] In an interview with Ensenada newspaper El Vigía, Mexico men's national flag football team hopeful Iván Roberto Méndez Nuza spoke on the significance of Contreras's participation for players from the Baja California region. He said her call-up confirmed to them that it was possible to reach the national team when they had previously thought selectors "would never look at [northern Mexico]".[23] Contreras was called up again for the 2021 IFAF Women's World Championship in Israel.[24] She helped her team reach the final, catching a touchdown pass from Diana Flores in a 31–21 loss to the United States.[25]

The following year, Contreras helped Mexico win the gold medal at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. She caught three touchdown passes from Flores in a 39–6 blowout win over the United States in the final.[26] Contreras also served as an occasional team captain for the first time during the tournament,[7] and was officially named team captain ahead of the 2023 IFAF Americas Continental Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.[7][27] She helped Mexico reach the final, catching two touchdown passes from Flores in a 26–21 loss to the United States.[28][29] The following year, Contreras captained the team at the 2024 IFAF Women's World Championship in Lahti, Finland.[30][31] She caught two touchdown passes from Flores in a 40–31 win over Japan in the semi-finals.[32] In the final, Contreras recorded a touchdown catch on offense and an interception on an extra point attempt on defense in an eventual 31–18 defeat to the United States.[33][34]

Ahead of Mexico's gold medal defending campaign at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, Contreras was described by ESPN Deportes as the "emblematic center, captain, and voice of the team".[35] In an August 2025 interview, Contreras expressed confidence in the Mexican team's prospects, stating that their goal was to win a second World Games gold medal by advancing through the group stage undefeated. She noted that the level of flag football's competitive level had grown in recent years, and that "it [excited her] greatly to be able to see and experience this level of competition."[36] After going undefeated in group stage play, Contreras caught four touchdown passes – including three from Tania Rincón – in a 40–0 win over hosts China in the quarterfinals.[37][38] She caught another touchdown pass from Rincón in their 25–13 semi-final win over Canada, which marked her team-leading seventh touchdown reception.[39] Mexico went on to defeat the United States in the final, 26–21, to capture the gold medal in a historic title defense.[40] However, Contreras was unable to join the team at the 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Championship in Penonomé, Panama, due to injury.[41]

In May 2026, Contreras played in a friendly against Spain in Las Rozas de Madrid, helping Mexico to a 35–25 win.[42] The friendly was scheduled as the conclusion of a series of joint training sessions between the two teams in an agreement between the respective national federations.[43]

In addition to her role as a center and wide receiver,[44] Contreras has also lined up on the defensive side of the ball.[45]

Personal life

In 2013, Contreras received an honorable mention in a sports photography contest sponsored by the Baja California state government; her photo depicted "the roughness of American football".[46] She has sold candies and cookies to help finance her flag football career, which requires frequent trips to Mexico City for national team training camps.[47]

Contreras has worked to promote the sport of flag football in Mexico. She operates a Facebook group called "De FLAG con Silvia", where news and information for players and fans of the game is shared. Contreras owns a sports apparel brand called "Flag Is Life, Flag Is Love", which gained popularity among the Mexican flag football community. Contreras has also served as a youth coach. In 2024, she coached the Baja California under-16 team at an NFL Flag tournament and led the Dragons Ensenada U13s to an NFL Flag Chargers Regional tournament title.[48] Contreras is also a high school flag football coach,[6][7] as well as an assistant coach at the CETYS, Ensenada campus.[49]

In November 2022, Contreras was inducted into the Paseo de la Fama de Tijuana Innovadora (Tijuana Innovadora Walk of Fame) following her World Games gold medal.[50][51] In March 2023, she participated in a "Women in Sports" panel at the second annual Gala del Deporte alongside fellow Mexican sportswomen Jackie Nava and Yazmin Jauregui.[47] Contreras was named a Personality of the Year by El Imparcial in 2024.[48] The following year, she was honored by the Tijuana tourism board for her career and work promoting the sport at the 34th Galardón al Mérito Turístico in Playas de Tijuana.[52]

Contreras featured on the cover of the inaugural issue of Flag Football Nation magazine in January 2024. The magazine described her as "one of the most recognizable names and faces in the sport of women's flag football."[53]

References

  1. ↑ "TWG athlete: Silvia Yolanda Contreras Medina". International World Games Association. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Silvia Contreras" (in Spanish). Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Silvia Contreras Medina". heroesdeportivos.mx (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  4. ↑ Nayyar, Namita (27 February 2025). "Silvia Contreras Mexican Flag Football Player". womenfitness.net. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "La mundialista Silvia Contreras, visitó Cadena Deportiva". Cadena Noticias (in Spanish). 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Mendoza, Gabriela (11 August 2025). "Silvia Contreras, de querer ser porrista, a capitana del flag football". Claro Sports (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Flag Football's Rise in Mexico: A Champion's Journey to Lead the National Team". International World Games Association. 19 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  8. ↑ Gross 2024, p. 9.
  9. ↑ "Va a preselección de Flag estudiante de Cetys TIJ" (PDF). El Mexicano (in Spanish). 9 January 2024. p. 2B. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  10. ↑ Iglesias, Daniel (7 December 2014). "Osas de Cetys obtienen dos títulos en LIFA". El Imparcial (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  11. ↑ "Osas son campeonas de futbol Flag". Infobaja (in Spanish). 9 December 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "Emprendimiento + deporte + mercadotecnia= Silvia Contreras, Oro en Flag Football Femenil". VoCETYS (in Spanish). Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior. 17 August 2022. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Domínguez, Ángel (24 February 2014). "Rosales y Ramírez, campeonas de BC". El Vigía (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 "Silvia Contreras, impulsando el deporte tijuanense". Revista Campestre (in Spanish). 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  15. ↑ "7° Nacional Flag Football UNAM 2019" (in Spanish). Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Osas de Tijuana, Campeonas del International Bowl". Cadena Noticias (in Spanish). 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  17. ↑ "Silvia Contreras". Invictus Gloves. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "9° Nacional Flag Football Tecamac 2022" (in Spanish). Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Jaramillo, Nahomi (22 September 2024). "¡Las nuevas jurásicas!". Zócalo Saltillo (in Spanish). p. 2B. Retrieved 18 August 2025 – via Issuu.
  20. ↑ "Sorprende el talento femenino en el Segundo Torneo Nacional de Flag Football de la LFA". Así Lo Dice Puebla (in Spanish). 27 March 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "Silvia Contreras ¡Bienvenida a Osas Monterrey! Welcome to Osas Monterrey!" (in Spanish). Osos de Monterrey. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025 – via Facebook.
  22. ↑ Rojas, Ze A. (19 May 2026). "Conquista Selección Baja el Nacional Elite Flag Football". El Vigía (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Domínguez, Ángel (23 January 2019). "Con las banderas en alto". El Vigía (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  24. ↑ "Roster Femenil Israel 2021" (in Spanish). Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  25. ↑ Calle, Víctor (10 December 2021). "Mundial 2021 (Jerusalén, Israel) - Estados Unidos repite doblete y doble plata para México". Historia Deportiva (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  26. ↑ Gordon, Grant (14 July 2022). "Mexico stuns United States to win World Games gold medal in women's flag football". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  27. ↑ Avilés, Martín (3 March 2023). "Mexicanas campeonas del mundo de 'flag football' jugarán en Charlotte". Qué Pasa (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  28. ↑ Calle, Víctor (10 July 2023). "Campeonato de América de Flag Football 2023 (Charlotte, USA) - Doblete estadounidense con finales apasionantes ante México". Historia Deportiva (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  29. ↑ "2023 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship: Women Final - USA x Mexico". International Federation of American Football. Retrieved 21 June 2026. (registration required)
  30. ↑ Briones, Jorge (24 August 2024). "Silvia Contreras, capitana de la Selección Mexicana de Flag Football con la mente puesta en Los Ángeles 2028". ESTO (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  31. ↑ "México se queda con subcampeonato en Flag Football en Finlandia". Noroeste.com.mx (in Spanish). 30 August 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  32. ↑ González, Kevin (29 August 2024). "Avanza México a final del Mundial de Flag Femenil". El Imparcial (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  33. ↑ Calle, Víctor (31 August 2024). "Mundial de Flag Football femenino 2024 (Lahti, Finlandia) - Estados Unidos defiende título y recupera el trono mundial frente a México. Bronce histórico de Japón y España a los World Games". Historia Deportiva (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 May 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  34. ↑ Nucamendi, Martell (30 August 2024). "La Selección Femenil de México se lleva la medalla de plata en la final del Mundial de Flag Football". La Razón (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  35. ↑ Landa, Rebeca (13 August 2025). "México, listo para defender el oro de Flag Football en Chengdu". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  36. ↑ "The Road to Chengdu: Mexico Plans To Defend Its Crown". International Federation of American Football. 1 August 2015. Archived from the original on 8 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  37. ↑ "Austria, Canada, Mexico and USA Into World Games Semis". International Federation of American Football. 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  38. ↑ Landa, Rebeca (16 August 2025). "La selección mexicana jugará la final vs. EEUU en el World Games". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  39. ↑ "Mexico va por oro en flag football". PlaySports.mx (in Spanish). 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  40. ↑ Merrell, Chloe (17 August 2025). "The World Games 2025 Flag Football: Mexico fend off USA in historic title defence". Olympics.com. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  41. ↑ Piña Guemes, Mario (18 September 2025). "2° Americas Continental Panama 2025" (in Spanish). Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  42. ↑ Gómez, Rafa (10 May 2026). "Doble victoria de México ante una España que deja buenas sensaciones". touchdown.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  43. ↑ "Las selecciones absolutas de Flag Football de México y España se citan en Las Rozas (Madrid)" (in Spanish). Federación Española de Fútbol Americano. 6 May 2026. Archived from the original on 21 May 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  44. ↑ "Flag Football de CETYS ante el sueño olímpico" (in Spanish). Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  45. ↑ "¡Medalla de plata para México! La Selección Femenil de Flag Football perdió la Final con EE.UU". Fox Sports México (in Spanish). 30 August 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  46. ↑ "Entregarán premio a la mejor fotografía deportiva". MexicaliSport (in Spanish). 10 December 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  47. 1 2 Romero, Marcos (5 March 2023). "Silvia Contreras busca repetir la hazaña". El Sol de Tijuana (in Spanish). Organización Editorial Mexicana. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  48. 1 2 Muñoz, Heriberto (27 December 2024). "Personaje del año: Silvia Contreras, lleva el Flag en la sangre". El Imparcial (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  49. ↑ "Flag football: experiencia indispensable alrededor del Super Bowl" (in Spanish). Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  50. ↑ Espinosa, Christian (13 November 2022). "Tras conquista de World Games de Birmingham 2022, quiere Silvia Contreras impulsar el Flag Football". BajaNews (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  51. ↑ "Lleva Silvia Contreras el nombre de Tijuana en alto como campeona mundial Flag Football". El Mexicano (in Spanish). 31 December 2022. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  52. ↑ "Reconocen a impulsores del turismo con el XXXIV Galardón al Mérito Turístico". Infobaja (in Spanish). 26 September 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  53. ↑ Gross 2024, p. 1; 8.

Bibliography

  • Gross, Scott (2024). "Flag is Life, Flag is Love" (PDF). Flag Football Nation. No. 1. pp. 8–11. Retrieved 20 August 2025 – via Heyzine.
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