There are now 22 colleges that offer women’s varsity flag football. That’s a huge touchdown for women’s sports. An even bigger score is the announcement that flag football will be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
There are also 11 states that include girl’s flag football as a varsity sport: Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, Alaska, New York, Arizona, Illinois, California, Montana and most recently Colorado. Many states above and beyond this list are in a “pilot program” stage, testing if they have the interest from schools and students to create full teams.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) estimates that about 500,000 girls between the ages of 6-17 play flag football. That is a 63% increase since 2019!
The growth of the sport can in large part be attributed to the NFL. While flags won’t be added to the Superbowl anytime soon, the organization has introduced and funded flag football to schools and colleges all across the country.
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“Tackle football will continue as the professional game played in the NFL and its amateur pipeline from youth through college, but flag will dominate in neighborhoods, schools and recreational leagues around the world. It's happening in front of our eyes,” Troy Vincent Sr., NFL executive vice president of football operations, told NBC Boston.
The Atlantic East Conference will be the first full NCAA conference to offer girl’s flag football in Spring 2025.
“Establishing women’s flag football has been a great honor for us and I am so excited to provide this opportunity for female athletes around the country,” Atlantic East commissioner Jessica Huntley told NBC Boston.
With 1,600 teams across the country currently, the young people learning to play flag football today are pioneering a sport that finally gives women access to football and provides a safer alternative to tackle football. The future for flag appears bright.
