As the country recognizes the 50th anniversary of Title IX, girls flag football has begun a movement in Arizona high schools.
Add Phoenix Xavier Prep to a growing list of schools that will participate in the spring. And Phoenix Brophy Prep assistant defensive coordinator Michael Patterson will be the head coach.
“Girls flag football is definitely an emerging sport nationally, and, in Arizona,” Xavier Prep Athletic Director Sister Lynn Winsor said. “As I read publications related to high school athletics, I see several states, like Georgia, instituting it in their state.
“At athletic meetings, the subject of flag football also has arisen.”
Boys and girls lacrosse has been played in some Arizona high schools in the spring for several years. But it has never been sanctioned by the Arizona Interscholastic Association, mainly because of a lack of a push from administrators to get the sport sanctioned.
It’s been played at the club level.
Sister Lynn Winsor, who has been Xavier’s athletic director since 1977 and was ranked No. 1 by The Arizona Republic as the state’s most influential woman for high school sports in the past 50 years, said that flag football has been played in physical education classes at the all-girls school for years.
“We already have interest,” she said. “I know that some of the Chandler high schools started a league and we hope to join that group in the spring.”
Last spring, six Chandler Unified School District schools played each other in girls flag football games. Tempe district schools have shown interest in forming teams.
In late April, AIA media spokesman Seth Polansky told the Republic in a story, “There are several more steps over the next year before flag football can be considered as an emerging sport for the state. We anticipate plenty of questions both to and from the AIA regarding the administration of the sport at the school level.”
For subscribers: How Title IX boosted Arizona high school girls sports, and what more can be done
Patterson, who has been an assistant football coach at Brophy Prep under three different head coaches, is excited about leading Xavier’s flag football team. His daughter Mikayla Patterson will be an incoming freshman at Xavier and will be part of the flag football team.
Patterson has seen the interest in football from girls across the nation.
Girls flag football is sponsored by the National Federation of High Schools and has membership in five states: Georgia, Florida, Nevada, Alabama and Alaska. In Alabama and Alaska, there have been no state championships.
Sister Lynn sees this as an emerging sport in this decade.
There has been talk about flag football eventually becoming an Olympic sport.
There are 15 NAIA colleges that offer women’s flag football. Those are scholarship opportunities for high school girls.
“I think it’s going to be huge,” Patterson said. “It’s great here, especially for the girl who has the opportunity to move up and get an education for free.”
Xavier is replacing its old turf field that should be finished in August.
“Sister Lynn is super excited about it,” Patterson said. “She’s all aboard.”
Related: Treatment of game officials, NIL, Title IX are hot national high school sports topics
Winsor said she is impressed by Patterson’s enthusiasm and passion for girls flag football.
“His dedication to ensuring that sports and athletics are a positive experience for the students and his love of the game of football all made us excited to have him join our Xavier Prep coaching staff,” Winsor said. “I can see girls flag football becoming an AIA- sanctioned sport in the future.
“Selecting the time of year the sport will be played, making sure there are officials available, finding out how many high schools would play, adding the sport to school budgets, and setting up leagues are some of the many issues that need to be worked out.
“With this being the 50th anniversary of Title IX being enacted, what better way to celebrate Title IX than adding girls flag football to the opportunities open to high school girls?”
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
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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.
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