After airing an ‘80s themed commercial during Super Bowl LIX, the NFL is pushing for the establishment of varsity girls flag football teams.
Names like Pat McAfee and Justin Jefferson appeared alongside female flag football athletes in the NFL’s message advocating for varsity female flag football. The commercial reached an audience of 127.7 million gathered to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Leave the past behind,” the NFL said in the ad. “Let’s make girls flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states.”
Establishing a varsity sport nationwide isn’t something that happens overnight, and the NFL keeps this in mind as it encourages states to hop on board with its sanctioning.
Flag football has been a part of the NFL since 1994, when the sport was introduced in a youth camp series in New England, Massachusetts. At the time, both genders competed. It has since grown as a girl’s league at the collegiate level, especially in recent years.
So how is Louisiana doing its part in this national endeavor?
To sanction a sport the HSAA of the particular state must fully recognize it as varsity sport. Currently, 14 states have sanctioned girl’s flag football. Louisiana is still in the “pilot stage”, in other words, a trial run.
The New Orleans Saints reported that because at least 80 schools across the state expressed interest in girl’s flag football, the LHSAA is able to move forward in evolving the sport from its trial run with an executive committee voting process in April.
It is in collaboration with the Saints that the state of Louisiana is able to pursue girl’s flag football as a sport played at both the high school and collegiate level.
“This grows the opportunities for girls in our state to compete in a sport that is growing worldwide thanks to the support of the NFL, the Saints and all of our teams,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said. “This progress further increases access for young women to the ideals of athletic competition, inclusivity and the power of teamwork.”
In addition to flag football being an approved sport for 2028 Olympics, two NAIA universities in Louisiana already have female flag teams, one at Southern University at New Orleans, one at Xavier University.
In the meantime, the NCAA is in the process of deciding whether female flag football should join the Emerging Sports for Women program.
As the NCAA reported, the Committee for Women’s Athletics has made a recommendation for the sport to be a part of the program but it first must pass through the governing process before an official decision is made.
“We are thrilled that Louisiana has decided to sanction girls flag football as a high school varsity sport,” NFL vice president of flag football Stephanie Kwok said in a press release.
Louisiana moves forward with the Saints to pursue NFL FLAG’s dream of making non-contact sports and their competitive nature more prevalent throughout the nation. So keep an eye out, and you might see that your former high school or one nearby has decided to be a part of the change in female athletics.
