By the Associated Press
Girls flag football is rapidly spreading through high schools in the U.S., with 14 states sanctioning it as an official high school sport in the last three years. The growth has been helped along by millions of dollars from benefactors like Nike and the NFL and has unfolded as interest in women’s sports explodes.
The sport is nothing new in Florida, which was the first state to sanction girls flag football back in 2003. Girls have been playing flag football there for over 20 years, and recent participation numbers in the state have over 10,000 girls across four divisions and more than 450 schools. More than a dozen other states have since sanctioned the sport.
Proponents are hoping to bring the sport to the collegiate level. Currently, at least 65 NCAA schools sponsor girls flag football at the club or varsity level, with the majority being at the club level. It was recently approved to join the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, the first step to possibly becoming an official sport for Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 athletics.
Below are states that have officially sanctioned girls high school flag football and when.
ALABAMA (2023)
ALASKA (2024)
ARIZONA (2022)
CALIFORNIA (2023)
COLORADO (2024)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (2025)
FLORIDA (2003)
GEORGIA (2019)
HAWAII (2024)
ILLINOIS (2024)
MISSISSIPPI (2025)
NEVADA (2016)
NEW YORK (2023)
OHIO (2025)
PENNSYLVANIA (2024)
TENNESSEE (2025)
WASHINGTON (2025)