Girls flag football is on a remarkable a run
It’s one of the fastest-growing sports in the US, especially at the high school level.
• less than 3 min read
Girls flag football is a hit. Not literally, of course, since it doesn’t allow tackling. But it’s one of the fastest-growing sports in the US, especially at the high school level. According to a survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations:
- Around 102,000 high school girls participated in flag football last year—up from less than 16,000 four years earlier.
- The number of schools reporting participation went from 2,736 last year to 3,990 this year.
The little ones are playing, too. The number of girls age 6 to 12 playing flag football increased by 283% between 2015 and 2024, according to USA Football. Meanwhile, about 500,000 girls age 6 to 17 play on organized flag football teams in the US, per the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, which has partnered with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons (of which Blank is majority owner) to champion the sport’s growth.
Green flag: According to Amanda Dinkel, the Falcons’ senior director for community relations, flag football “provides gender equality and builds girls’ leadership skills…and 50% of the girls who decide to play flag have never played a sport before.”
Flags of the world: The NFL estimates that more than 20 million people play flag football in 100+ countries. The sport will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028.—BC
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