In the last issue of the Blitz, we learned that NFL players were making their case for the sport to be included in the flag football teams that will make their debut in the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. (Spoiler alert: Team USA Flag Football was not taking very kindly to that.)
Regardless of that argument, enthusiasm for (and participation in) the sport has been building in recent years, thanks in no small part to NFL FLAG, which now boasts more than 700,000 players and 1,800 leagues in all 50 states.
Flag football also is the fastest-growing emerging high school sport in the country, and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has been tapped by its member state associations to write playing rules for flag football that will take effect with the 2025-26 season.
In August, the NFHS Board of Directors approved the first 11-member NFHS Flag Football Rules Committee, which is set to meet in January; the “2025-26 NFHS Flag Football Rules Book” is expected to be available by May.
“The NFHS is excited about this new sports opportunity — particularly for girls,” Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS, said in a statement. “Flag is a sport of inclusivity. It can be played in any season (weather dependent), is fast-paced and offers an opportunity for young people to play and others to coach or officiate in the exciting sport of football.”
While the “NFHS Flag Football Rules Book “will be written for both boys’ and girls’ competition, the growth of the girls game the past several years drove the urgency for national playing rules, according to federation officials. Currently, 12 state associations have sanctioned girls’ flag football, and another 19 states are involved in pilot programs at some level.
States that have sanctioned the sport for girls include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New York and Tennessee. Among those dozen states, seven offer the sport in the fall (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois), four play in the spring (Florida, Hawaii, New York, Tennessee) and one competes in the winter (Nevada).
State associations with pilot programs include Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
What’s more, the number of participants in girls’ flag football more than doubled between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years. A total of 42,955 girls participated in flag football in 2023-24 compared to 20,875 the previous year — a 105% increase. (A full recap of the organization’s most recent Participation Survey can be found here.)
Florida has led the success of girls’ flag football, according to the NFHS. The country’s longest-standing program boasts more than 360 schools and almost 10,000 participants.
Here are some highlights from other states showcasing flag football for girls:
- Georgia reported more than 6,200 participants last year, and the Georgia High School Association — with backing from the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons — held its third state championship in December.
- After starting as a pilot program in 2013, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association has offered a girls’ flag football championship since 2017, and interest continues to grow with more than 1,600 participants and three classes of championships.
- The Alabama High School Athletic Association held its first state championship in December 2023 in conjunction with the boys state football championships at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa; almost 2,000 girls participated in the 2023-24 season.
- The Arizona Interscholastic Association staged its first event in November 2023. A total of 54 schools competed in the first championship, and the AIA expects another 40 to 50 schools to participate in this fall, with rosters filled with athletes from other sports as well as students who have not previously played sports.
- In New York, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association held its first girls’ flag championship in June 2024 after several years as a pilot program, and about 4,100 girls were involved this past year.
- Meanwhile, Illinois and California are sanctioning the sport for the first time this year, and while the California Interscholastic Federation does not conduct a state championship yet, almost 11,000 girls participated in flag football in 2023-24. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) will offer flag as a fall sport for girls this year and hold its first state championship in October.
Flag football will be the 18th sport for which the NFHS writes national playing rules — and the first new sport offering since boys’ lacrosse in 2000 and girls’ lacrosse in 2016.
“The popularity of flag football — for boys and girls — has been growing at the youth levels for the past 10 years,” Niehoff said. “In 2023, about 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football, a 63 percent increase since 2019. At a higher level of competition, more universities are beginning to offer flag football for girls, which will certainly enhance the appeal for girls playing the sport at the high school level.”
She added that, with the creation of official playing rules, more flag football participation opportunities likely will open up around the country.
The sport’s national profile was boosted further in July at the inaugural NFL FLAG Championships presented by Toyota, held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. The three-day event featured more than 280 boys’ and girls’ teams from the around the world, with 32 games broadcast on multiple ESPN, Disney and NFL platforms.
Stephanie Kwok, the NFL’s vice president of flag football, said the championships “exemplif[ied] that flag football at the grass roots level is inclusive and accessible; every girl or boy that wants to play will have every opportunity to play this game.”
The NFL even likened the event to “the flag football equivalent of the Little League World Series,” as teams traveled from Canada, Mexico, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and China.
“You think about something like the Little League World Series, which has been this staple in the summer months and this destination, aspirational event for young baseball players, and the way that it’s come to life from a broadcast perspective,” Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business, international and league events, told The Washington Post. “There’s something really powerful here.”
“It’s the biggest stage, widest viewership audience and the world seeing the best of the best in these age brackets,” added Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations. “This is the future of flag. This is the future of high school, college, professional and Olympic flag play. That’s what we’re seeing. We’re getting a glimpse.”
About the Author
