Ahead of the Bears' Celebrating Women and Girls in Sports game Sunday against the Steelers, ChicagoBears.com spoke with Phoebe Schecter — an international flag football player, former captain of the Great Britain women's national American football team, former NFL assistant coach and contributor to Sky Sports' NFL coverage.

Schecter visited Halas Hall this summer after traveling to Chicago to help the Bears lead a flag football clinic at Round Lake High School. Schecter has been an advocate of expanding the sport worldwide and has supported the Bears' United Kingdom flag football leagues and its annual kickoff events and clinics since the leagues launched in 2023. Learn more about the trailblazer as she details her experience at Halas Hall, what jersey number she'd wear in the NFL, her sports idols and more.

What's your favorite part of Halas Hall?

I have to say, the Walter Payton Center is just phenomenal. You're transported into another world. It's absolutely stunning in there. You think of the history of Walter Payton, but then how much is happening now, so much great football is happening in there. I love it.

What was your first impression of Illinois?

I mean, it's beautiful here. I'm excited to go and do all of the touristy things. I've got a huge list of all the food places to go. I'm having a chocolate cake shake from Portillo's. So that's on the list. But the football facilities were phenomenal where we were. The kids were phenomenal. It's beautiful here. It's hard to compare, but this is probably one of the best NFL facilities that we've ever been at.

You were once a captain of Team Great Britain. What's your favorite memory from playing with them?

I would say it goes back a little bit, but our first ever European championships, we were not the best team. But it was our heart and our teamwork, and we ended up going from never playing in a tournament to then coming in second place. I remember we lost that game to Finland, but everybody was cheering for us like we had won. Those memories and those relationships from within the team itself, we'll never replace those feelings of what we accomplished that year.

What has flag football meant to you?

Honestly, flag football has been a safe place. It's been somewhere where I can be authentically myself. It's somewhere where I've made a community in my home. And my home can be anywhere around the world where flag football is. It could be today at the camp with the girls. It could be playing a tournament in Germany. It doesn't matter because everyone just gets it. It's such a great sisterhood and brotherhood, really. So for me, it truly is family, and I feel fortunate that I've got the ability to have flag football as a tool to inspire, as well.

If you were to play in the NFL, what position would you play and what number would you wear?

I would play strong safety because that's my favorite position anyways. You're just running downhill, filling the gap, but also making these sick tackles. You just read off of people. And I know it's more of a linebacker number, but I would have been 56, because I want to be like, "yeah, I'm bringing the boom." I'm small but mighty.

What is one thing the U.S. has that the UK doesn't, and vice versa?

For the UK, the access to Europe is, for me, what makes it so special. You could literally go anywhere in the world, whether by train, plane, car. I could be in Paris on a train in two hours or drive to France or Amsterdam. I think that access to diversity and other cultures is really special.

As far as what the U.S. has, it's just this great attitude about sports from a young age. I wish the UK had that because I think that would really impact so many young people if they had more access to sports and the science, the education behind all of it. They've got great athletes, but a lot of them don't start really taking that career path until they're 16 or 18.

Who were your sports idols growing up?

I remember watching Mia Hamm on the U.S. soccer team. They're so iconic. Bethany Hamilton, too. Her story of being a surfer, having her arm bit off by a shark then raising a kid and getting back into sports. She's absolutely phenomenal.

Do you have a favorite Bears player?

I'm slightly biased because I knew Tremaine [Edmunds] when he was in Buffalo, and I just love him so much. His ability as a leader, his size, his speed, and the way that he makes people feel, he's just phenomenal. I think he really embodies a lot of what the Bears want. And he's so good for growing the game internationally as well.