MECHANICSBURG — In a unanimous 30-0 vote Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Board of Directors approved the first reading of girls’ flag football becoming an officially sanctioned sport by the state.
With girls flag football an official Olympic sport for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and girls flag football taking off in 2023 in Pennsylvania, the PIAA made the decision to approve the first reading by that 30-0 vote.
In 2023, 25 schools in the state had teams for the first season of flag football. That number recently surpassed 100 teams across the state, showing the PIAA just how much interest there is in the sport.
It has helped that the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL have supported girls flag football as a sport over the last few years, providing resources to female student-athletes across the state.
According to the PIAA, the Eagles, Steelers and the NFL as a whole have helped start up programs at 103 schools, with 65 of those schools on the eastern side of the state and 36 from the western side of the state.
“We are very appreciative of the Board of Directors support and taking this first step to sanctioning girls’ flag football,” said PIAA President Frank Majikes, in a press release from the PIAA. “We have a lot of work to do, but with the support of the Eagles, Steelers and the NFL, we’re hopeful of creating a solid foundation for girls’ flag football that will develop the sport for years to come.”
In the U.S., nine states have already sanctioned girls’ flag football, according to the National Federation of High School Associations. According to the NFHS, flag football has grown in popularity, not just for girls, but for boys as well, at the youth level.
Per NFHS President Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff, 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football since 2019, which is a 63% increase.
Now, with the PIAA unanimously approving the first reading, setting in motion the sport becoming officially sanctioned by the governing body, it could provide more opportunities for girls across the state that want to get involved in flag football.
