Girls flag football has become a hot topic. The CIF (California’s Interscholastic Federations) voted unanimously on Feb. 3, 2023 to add girls flag football to school athletics. Not only is it blowing up in California, but 29 other states. Even the NFL is trying to advocate women’s flag football to be in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Participation in girls flag football has jumped over 80% in just one year according to SFGate. Additionally, there are 697 high school girls flag football teams across California in the fall of 2024, according to California Interscholastic Federation’s participation survey.
“I want a rougher sport for girls that isn’t dominated by just guys,” freshman Blen Getachew said,“Flag football can be the next sport that shows off the strong part of feminism,”
The sport is improving endurance, agility, hand eye coordination, and strength. It encourages boldness, quick decision making, and trust in oneself and their teammates and provides a foundation in core football skills such as passing, catching, and running routes.
“We have been open to the idea of starting a flag football program and have conducted several surveys to gauge student interest,” director of athletics and physical education Dana Kuwara said. “While many students expressed enthusiasm for the sport, we have not yet had sufficient participation to move forward with establishing a team.”
According to the MAXPREPS, the league consists of different high schools around California that have a girls flag football team. The top three teams are JSerra Catholic in first place, Orange Lutheran in second, and third place, Huntington Beach. In San Francisco, schools such as University, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lowell, and Washington are among those embracing the growing girls flag football movement.
“I would like to play a sport like football,” senior Abigail Quigley said. “It isn’t fair that girls don’t have a sport that’s fierce enough.”
This is a symbol of how opportunities for young women in athletics continue to grow. The more girls take the field, the more the sport helps redefine what inclusion and equality look like in high school sports. This shows that once barriers go down, passion and talent step up.
“It would help bring out confidence in girls,” Getachew said. “I also think flag football can help girls express themselves in a new and bolder way.”
