The reason flag football is growing in popularity among children
“Everyone has a right to football.”
Think about what those words mean to you. They undoubtedly tell you how enthralled the nation is by the American version of the sport every weekend in the autumn. But think about where these terms came from: They come from a woman who formerly competed at the Division I level but never actually had the opportunity to play football.
Karissa Niehoff’s thoughts go back to her senior year of high school as she observes the current state of the game and the options it offers female players. It was practically a flag situation when we played Powderpuff versus our archrival team and the archrival town, according to Niehoff, who is currently the CEO of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). However, that was all we had.
It wasn’t much; it was just a girls-only game that they played in addition to the “real thing” the boys were playing. But a few decades later, in the context of a more comprehensive national equity narrative, girls are claiming this sport as their own. One of the most popular and rapidly expanding youth sports is flag football. However, it’s one that girls in particular have embraced with a widespread passion.
Girls football, which is already enormously popular at the youth level, is now an official fall or spring high school sport in eight states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Nevada), and 18 more have pilot programmes that may soon be given that status. The NFHS reports that more than 700 high schools have more than 15,000 female players of flag football. It’s a sport that will be available for both men and women to participate in at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and the NFL is backing it with youth initiatives and funding programmes to help states start programmes at schools.
In a phone interview with USA TODAY Sports last week, Niehoff said, “The collaboration behind the growth of flag is something we have never seen or been a part of to this degree.” “I’d be hard-pressed to suggest that anything has expanded as swiftly as flag in terms of growth rate. She explains, “I’ve just always loved football, and I think there are a lot of ladies and girls that adore football. Therefore, I find it quite thrilling that they have the chance to join the sport with a more level playing field in terms of physical prowess.