AURORA – Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport for the 2028 summer games in Los Angelos, and the sport could be coming to Colorado before that.
Girls flag football just completed its second of two pilot seasons in Colorado, which is part of the process in becoming a sanctioned sport/activity. Over the coming months, the Equity Committee, the Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC), the Sports Medicine Committee and the Budget Committee will all review the results of the pilot program, and then make a recommendation to the Board of Directors, which will review those recommendations and determine whether or not girls flag football should become a sanctioned sport/activity by the Colorado High School Activities Association.
In January, the Equity Committee will review survey results detailing the 51 schools currently offering the program, the practice and competition facility availability, the availability of certified officials and coaches and the number of students participating in the activity. The Equity Committee will then use that information to make a decision on the activity’s impact on proportionality and the association’s Title IX considerations.
In February, CLOC will review the survey results to determine a regular season and playoff format, along with the size and number of leagues and classifications necessary for the activity.
The Sports Medicine Committee will then review the safety, liability and health concerns of the activity, if there are any, and the Budget Committee will consider the financial impact on member schools and the Association of adding the activity.
In April, the CHSAA Board of Directors will review the recommendations of the committees, the results from the aforementioned survey, cost estimates, safety and liability issues, the availability of officials and more. If it passes through all of those committees and the Board approves it, girls flag football would officially become sanctioned by CHSAA.
Becoming a CHSAA-sanctioned activity would provide teams in the state a chance for more stability and recognition, including a recognized CHSAA state championship and all-state honors for participants.
Supported heavily by the Denver Broncos through its two seasons as a pilot program, girls flag football fielded 72 teams across 51 different member schools and provided a spot for 1,324 student-athletes to participate; 74% of which had never played flag football prior to this season.
Girls flag football also provided an athletic fall activity for hundreds of students that would have otherwise been without a fall sport, as more than half of the participants said they wouldn’t have played another fall sport if not for girls flag football.
If girls flag football becomes sanctioned, it will be the 13th fall activity and the 21st girls activity officially recognized by CHSAA.
Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
