Community Spotlight: Texas Flag Football Athletes Leading On and Off the Field

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Brooke Bishop and Emma Shipley are making the case for girls flag football in Frisco ISD.

Brooke is a junior at Lone Star High School. Emma is at Panther Creek. Both are flag football athletes. And both have decided they're not waiting around for someone else to bring the sport to their schools.

They've got support from former NFL player Danny McCray, who's been actively involved in growing flag football across DFW. But the work on the ground? That's all them.

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Making the Case

Both Brooke and Emma have met with their principals about starting girls flag football programs. Emma took it a step further and got a meeting with the Frisco ISD Athletic Director.

The response from district leadership has been consistent: they're open to revisiting the idea once UIL officially sanctions the sport.

Most people would stop there. Brooke and Emma didn't.

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Building Demand Before the Green Light

Instead of waiting for approval, they started building the case themselves.

They created interest forms and started circulating them across Frisco ISD schools. Brooke has collected 17 names at Lone Star alone. Emma has 13 at Panther Creek. And the numbers keep growing.

Brooke connected with the Girls Frisco Lacrosse Association to learn how they built their program from the ground up—so she'd have a blueprint ready when the time comes.

And her school's broadcast team took notice. They interviewed Brooke and are releasing a feature on her efforts this week.

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Why It Matters

The NCAA just added women's flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program. The vote happened last week at the 2026 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C., and the designation takes effect immediately for the spring 2026 season.

That means colleges can now build flag football programs and offer scholarships without the same Title IX constraints that limit other sports.

The pathway from high school to college flag football just became real.

But that pathway only works if high schools have teams. And right now in Texas, most don't.

That's what makes what Brooke and Emma are doing so important. They're not waiting for UIL. They're not waiting for their district. They're organizing athletes, building relationships with administrators, and proving demand exists—right now.

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This Is What Leadership Looks Like

It's easy to talk about being a leader. It's harder to be one when the answer keeps coming back "not yet."

Brooke and Emma are doing the work anyway. Meeting after meeting. Form after form. Conversation after conversation.

They're leading on and off the field.

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Get Involved

If you're a Texas high school athlete working to bring girls flag football to your school, reach out to Flag Football Finder. We want to help tell your story.

If you're in Frisco ISD, connect with Brooke or Emma. Or start your own effort at your school.

The sport is growing. The NCAA is paying attention. Texas high schools need to catch up.

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Watch The Talkin Flag Show

This Community Spotlight is powered by The Talkin Flag Show—one of the fastest-growing flag football podcasts in the world. Hosted by Ambra and Tika Marcucci, twin sisters who play for the Italian National Flag Football Team.

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