Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1498681
The growth of girls' flag football in America is a bright spot for the team business. By Mike May TEAM FOOTBALL PLANTING THE FLAG Any team dealer looking for a growth category in the traditional world of football need look no further than girls' flag football. Yes, you read that correctly. While flag has already proven popular as an alternative to tackle among younger male football players, the female version of it is catching on in various sections of the country and seems poised to be a hot new market in the world of team sports. To explore just how this phenomenon is taking shape, Team Insight reached out to a number of the key players at different levels and in different parts of the U.S. to gauge just what is happening, why this growth is occurring and, most importantly, what's in it for team dealers. Girls' Flag Approved in CA, NY and AZ Flag football s officiially California Cool now that the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the statewide body that governs high school athletics in the country's largest state, is supporting girls' high school flag football as a fully sanctioned sport. In February, a plan was approved – by a unanimous vote of 146-0 – by the CIF to make girls' flag football a high school varsity level sport, beginning with the upcoming 2023-24 school year. Paula Hart Rodas, president-elect of the CIF Southern Section's council, says the big-picture reason for approving flag football as a varsity sport is to get more girls playing high school sports by taking advantage of the widespread love of football by many female high school athletes who have no interest in playing tackle football. "You can love the game of football and not love getting tackled, but still want to partici- pate," points out Hart Rodas. "Flag right now is aimed directly at getting more girls involved in athletics by adding a different sport that we know girls are interested in, but are not willing to play tackle for a variety of reasons." e vote in California is a reflection of the growing level of interest in flag football in the local recreational youth leagues and the growing level of support from the NFL. e three NFL teams in the state – the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers – are committed to supporting girls' high school flag football in California. Photo: Allyson Goolsby, 412 Media 22 • Team Insight ~ May/June 2023 teaminsightmag.com