The IHSA announced Wednesday that girls flag football will become an official high school sport in Illinois starting this fall.
“This is something the girls can go do while they’re also playing volleyball, or while they’re also running cross country,” said Craig Anderson, IHSA Executive Director. “This is something they can do if it’s a passion to be part of multiple sports in the same season. That’s not unheard of, that’s permitted within our rules.”
More than 100 Illinois high schools will compete in flag football this year and 40 more schools will join in 2025, according to the IHSA.
“The IHSA is over 100 years old, and I can tell you that this type of growth per sport is unprecedented throughout our history,” said Anderson.
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Illinois becomes the ninth state to offer girls flag football in high school.
“You can become a coach. You can become a referee. You can be helping on the sideline. We need a lot of female mentors,” said Juliana Zavala with Chicago Public Schools.
The announcement came during a ceremony at the Chicago Bears’ Halas Hall in Lake Forest with local high school flag football coaches and players.
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“I know what athletics can do to change the lives of both young men and young women, but especially young women, from a confidence standpoint,” said Kevin Warren, president of the Chicago Bears. “We not only owe it to the future, but to the past. Of all the young women, the young girls who wanted to participate in this game, to compete for a State High School Championship.”
The Bears hosted a state championship for high schools with club flag football teams the past two years.
“Just wanted to try something out and I didn’t think I would make it this far to having scholarships,” said Dyamond Winters, a senior at Simeon High School.
Some Chicago high school players have scholarship offers to play flag football in college.
“I have a scholarship from Rockford (University in Rockford, Illinois),” said Kilah Jackson, a senior at Simeon. “I’m just so grateful for the opportunity honestly.”
Flag football will be an Olympic sport for men and women starting with the 2028 Summer Games.
