Girls flag football is now officially a part of the Illinois high school sports landscape.
The Illinois High School Association announced Wednesday that girls flag football is the newest sanctioned sport, starting in time for the 2024-25 school year. The announcement came from at the PNC Center inside Halas Hall in Lake Forest, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
This also means the inaugural state championship will take place on Oct. 11-12. No host site has been announced, but it will likely land in the Chicago suburbs since that’s where the majority of the competing teams are located, according to the IHSA.
In December 2023, IHSA member schools voted 464-82 (with 181 absentees) to make girls flag football an officially sanctioned sport this fall. It joins a growing list of sports and activities that have recently held their first state series, including girls wrestling (2022), esports (2022), boys and girls lacrosse (2018) and competitive dance (2013). The IHSA will offer a state series in 40 total sports and activities in 2024-25.
REQUIRED READING:Girls flag football is coming to the IHSA. Here are the Peoria teams planning to play
“Girls flag football is somewhat unprecedented in terms of its growth and timeline for achieving an IHSA state series,” said Dan Tully, principal at Niles Notre Dame and president of the IHSA board of directors. “We are enthusiastic about how much has been accomplished in such a short amount of time, and expect that participation will continue to increase in the years ahead.”
Locally, Peoria High and Richwoods are expected to start programs with Manual also exploring the possibility of forming a team. There are 112 schools — just four from south of Interstate 80 (the two Peoria high schools, Danville and Kankakee) — unofficially committed to play within the IHSA. Another 40 have expressed interest, according to the IHSA.
Officially, the IHSA won’t open its state series registration database for next school year until this summer. That means any number of teams could form before the entry deadline.
“By providing opportunities for talented girls and women, we will be able to follow some of the world’s best athletes competing on local, national and international platforms, leading to the 2028 Summer Olympics,” said Kevin Warren, the Chicago Bears President and CEO, who said the NFL team is committed to growing the fledgling sport.
“This is the beginning,” he said, “but access and equity begin with these historical first moments.”
The Chicago Public League first conducted a postseason tournament in 2021, won by Back of the Yards. The CPL and the Bears then joined together to host state finals at Halas Hall in 2022 and 2023. Willowbrook and Lane Tech won those titles.
The IHSA advisory committee for the sport has met twice previously and will look to finalize the rulebook and structure of the state series. The IHSA also will be seeking officials to work the games and sites interested in hosting the state finals.
“There is a lot of work to done before we crown the first champion,” said Tracie Henry, the IHSA administrator for the sport. “We have a group of people who are dedicated to seeing the sport flourish and putting on a first-class state tournament.”
