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than one million participants, according to the NFHS. In fact, the 2022-23 school year saw an increase of 54,969 players, up 5.6 percent from the previous year. Not only did 11-player football top the one-million mark, the increase was the first one for the sport since 2013 and only the second increase since the all-time high of 1.1 million in the 2008-09 school year. ere also was a slight gain – from 34,935 to 35,301 – in the number of boys playing 6-player, 8-player and 9-player football. Girls Got Game, Too. e number of girls playing football – particularly flag foot- ball – continues to climb as well. A total of 20,875 girls players in 2022-23, an increase of 32 percent from 2021-22. According to the NFHS, seven states now sponsor a state championship in girls' flag football and more are in the planning stages. Since 2021-22, the number of girls playing 11-player football in- creased by 18 percent with 3654 participants. Put together, boys and girls participation in all versions of high school football increased from 1,028,976 to 1,089,880 – a jump of six percent – from 2021-22 to 2022-23. High School Flag Football Figures. According to the NFHS, the top five states with the most female high school flag foot- ball players are Florida (7809 participants), Georgia (3866), Nevada (1508), New York (1020 and Alabama (665). Other states with girls playing high school flag football include California and Alaska. Flag vs. Tackle. Based on figures from the SFIA, there are more flag football players (1.8 million) in the U.S. between the ages of six and 12 than there are tackle football players (1.4 million). NFL Backs Flag Football. NFL Flag, the of- ficial flag football organization of the NFL, offers youth athletes a fun, inclusive, non-con- tact sport. NFL Flag serves more than half a million children and operates more than 1600 local leagues. Pigskin Profits. From a spending perspective, football keeps the cash registers ringing for team dealers and sporting goods retailers. According to the SFIA's Manufacturers Sales by Category Report, wholesale sales of football gear (footballs, protective gear, blocking sleds, goal posts and accessories) reached $662.5 million in 2022, up 6.5 percent from $621.9 million in 2021. Olympic Dreams Come True. e BIG news for the sport of football is that flag foot- ball will debut as an Olympic sport at the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. In mid-October the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of flag football, paving the way for USA Football's U.S. National Teams to make their Olympic debut. e IOC's decision came aer the LA28 Organizing Committee rec- ommended flag football and four other sports (cricket, baseball/soball, lacrosse and squash) for inclusion. Flag football in the Olympics will be a 5-on-5 game played on a 50-yard field. ere are no offensive and defensive linemen. According to LA Olympics chairman Casey Wasserman, the new sports are "rel- evant, innovative and community-based, played in backyards, schoolyards, community centers, stadiums and parks across the U.S. and the globe." Who Plays for the U.S.? USA Football, the 50 • November/December 2023 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com TEAM 2ND HALF Flag Football @ 2028 LA Olympics

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