New Weekly Award Could Put Girls Flag Football Players on Team USA's Radar

Every week this fall, one high school flag football player is getting a phone call that could change the trajectory of her career — not from a college coach, but from USA Football. A brand-new weekly award, announced this month, is turning game-day stats into a direct line to the U.S. National Team pipeline, and it's worth every parent and player in the sport paying attention.

What's happening

USA Football and MaxPreps have launched the Girls High School Flag Football Player of the Week Award, recognizing one standout athlete every week of the fall and spring high school seasons based on stats coaches enter into MaxPreps. The recognition itself is nice — but it's what comes with it that matters.

▸ Each weekly winner earns an invitation to a USA Football Talent ID Camp.

▸ Camps include Olympic-style scrimmages, combine testing, and skill competitions built on USA Football's Football Development Model.

▸ Standout campers can advance toward the National Team Development Program and U.S. National Team Trials — the same pipeline feeding Team USA ahead of flag football's 2028 Olympic debut in Los Angeles.

The timing tracks with the sport's explosive growth: girls' flag football participation jumped roughly 44% between 2014 and 2023, with 6-to-12-year-olds seeing a 222% increase over the same span. Thirteen states now sanction it as a varsity sport, with more than a dozen others running pilot programs.

Why it matters for your league and your athlete

For years, the biggest knock on youth and high school flag football was the lack of a clear "next step." This award answers that directly — a normal Friday night box score can now put a player in front of national team scouts. That changes how families should think about the season.

▸ Stats now matter beyond bragging rights. Coaches entering complete, accurate box scores into MaxPreps aren't just building a highlight reel — they're submitting an application on their players' behalf.

▸ It raises the ceiling for every level below varsity. A visible path from high school to Team USA gives younger players in youth flag football leagues a concrete reason to keep developing fundamentals now.

▸ It's a new data point for recruiting. Athletes building an athlete profile or eyeing college flag football teams now have another credential worth highlighting if they're named a weekly honoree.

The takeaway

This isn't a participation trophy — it's a scouting mechanism, and it's live right now during the fall season. If you're coaching or parenting a standout on one of today's girls flag football teams, make sure her stats are getting logged. The next name called might be hers.

Sources: USA Football, MaxPreps