Girls flag football will be an official athletic program with an accompanying state series as of the fall 2024 season.
On Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, an email from Illinois High School Association (IHSA) executive director Craig Anderson confirmed the 2024-25 school year to see the start of girls flag football as an official Illinois high school sport with an accompanying state series.
The addition of a new sport exclusive to girls means that boys football, now being considered tackle football, will have a female counterpart, albeit with its own variations.
Girls flag football is only the most recent in a line of programs that have held inaugural seasons within the last decade, such as girls wrestling and esports, both of which held their first IHSA state series in 2022.
“We had about 113 schools that are interested in participating in the inaugural state series and we’ll likely have even more,” IHSA Assistant Executive Director Tracie Henry, designated to serve as the program’s administrator, said. “Once we got to the point in which they met the threshold of what we would call Policy 614, for adding a new state series, that’s where our board [entertained] adopting a state series coming up this fall of 2024.”
The undertaking of adopting a new sport and accompanying state championship will require new officials, coaches and players. Those looking to officiate IHSA girls flag football can begin licensing to do so on May 1, 2024.
One opportunity provided by the addition is the presence of a new fall sport that can see participation from those who are not already fall athletes.
Libertyville’s Mr. John Woods, in his sixth year as the athletic director, said that after sending out an interest form, “78% of those that responded said they do not currently compete in a fall sport. So [by] adding girls flag football as a sport, we are increasing the number of opportunities for our kids to compete.”
Anderson, who has served as the IHSA executive director since the retirement of Marty Hickman in January 2016, said “the addition of girls flag football furthers the IHSA mission of creating participation opportunities for high school students in Illinois. The sport has experienced significant growth in a short amount of time and our member schools are excited to see it become an IHSA sport.”
Henry, who was named to her position on July 1, 2012, said that the opening of the flag football season “is an opportunity for students to get involved and represent their school, be a part of their extracurricular experience, that they can represent not only their school but their community.”
With the email, the news regarding the IHSA’s decision has been shared to athletic directors, coaches and athletes across the state.
Senior Ronnie Leonard, who captained a team during the 2023 girls Powderpuff flag football game, said that the sport would likely bring “more money and more crowds. I know Powderpuff was super popular, especially with the parents. I think it’ll bring more money, more entertainment, more options for people who don’t do a fall sport to get involved.”
Leonard, a varsity track and cross country runner, also said that flag football “should have been a sport a long time ago. Flag football has been a tradition for LHS for a very long time. And I personally think that it’s super fun.”
With support from multiple different programs, including advocacy by the Chicago Bears, the new sport has experienced rapid growth that only intensifies with its official status as an IHSA-sanctioned activity.
“My initial response is excitement,” Mr. Woods said, “to continue to provide opportunities for our kids to follow their passions and do what they love to do.”