Varsity Girls Flag Football Is Spreading: What New Jersey and Kansas Mean for Your Young Athlete
NJ and Kansas join 18+ states sanctioning girls flag football. Here's how youth players can build the path to varsity.
If you have a daughter who loves flag football, here is a question worth asking this fall: will there be a varsity team waiting for her in high school? For a growing number of families, the answer is now yes.
The Varsity Door Keeps Opening
New Jersey became the 18th state to sanction girls flag football as a varsity high school sport, starting with the 2026-27 school year. The vote followed a two-year pilot program backed by the Jets, Giants and Eagles. Kansas has also voted to sanction the sport for 2026-27, with fall seasons and state championships. Other sanctioned states include California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and about 21 more states are running pilot programs.
The numbers explain the momentum. Roughly 69,000 girls played high school flag football in 2024-25, up from about 15,000 just three years earlier. With flag football set to debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and NCAA programs and a professional league taking shape, the pathway now runs from youth leagues to the pros.
Why This Matters at the Youth Level
Sanctioning is more than a headline. When a state association makes flag football a varsity sport, high schools need players who already know the game. That puts pressure, in a good way, on the youth leagues, camps and clubs that feed those teams.
For organizers, it is a signal to build girls-only divisions and age-appropriate pipelines rather than folding girls into co-ed brackets by default. For parents, it means the skills your child builds at 9 or 10 can pay off in a varsity roster spot at 14.
What Families Can Do Now
→ Find a league with room to grow. Browse youth flag football leagues near you, and look for girls divisions where they exist.
→ Check out girls-specific programs. Our girls flag football teams directory is a good place to start.
→ Sharpen skills in the off-season. Camps and training sessions help players learn route running, flag pulling and QB fundamentals before tryouts.
→ Get seen. Players aiming for high school and college rosters can build a flag football athlete profile to showcase stats and highlights.
→ Organizers: If your program is ready to add or expand girls divisions, see our resources for organizations.
The Bottom Line
Check your state association's website to see whether girls flag football is sanctioned or in a pilot. If it is not yet, that is a conversation worth starting with your school and local league. The sport is growing fast, and the families and organizers who plan early will give their athletes the best shot.
Sources: WHYY on New Jersey's vote and KSHB on Kansas.