It’s official! Girls Flag Football is a sanctioned sport in Pennsylvania — and beyond.
Not to brag but Abington where I live (about 10 miles north of Philly) is one of the oldest small towns in the country. William Penn even named some of our streets, and before that of course the area Lenni Lenape have been here thousands of years before Europeans. So last month when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) named Girls Flag Football an official state-recognized sport, the historic news seemed fitting.
In fact, I already knew that Abington High School had a championship team. This local connection makes all the buzz even more exciting. For the young athletes involved — and for the future of girls’ sports in our state — this is a big deal.
Why Flag Football? Flag Football is a version of the game that’s non-contact, meaning no tackling. Instead of bringing down the ball carrier, players remove a flag attached to their opponent’s waist to stop the play. This makes the sport safer and more accessible compared to traditional tackle football. It also means you don’t need as much specialized equipment — just some flags, a football, and a good strategy. Games are also short, just two 20-minute halves.
In Pennsylvania schools, girls’ flag football is a very new sport that’s exploding in popularity. When it started in 2022, there were just 16 teams from Philadelphia’s public and Catholic schools. In 2023 that number almost doubled and now in 2024 there 65 teams, with over 1,600 girls playing!
It’s easy to see why. Flag Football offers something quite different from other sports available to girls. It’s fast-paced, it’s strategic, and it gives players a chance to learn football skills like passing, catching, and running plays. It emphasizes speed, agility, and teamwork rather than size or strength, making it appealing for a wide range of athletes.
A big part of the sport’s appeal is its inclusivity. Flag Football is a game of finesse where players don’t have to be big and strong to excel. Football is a culturally-significant sport in the US, and Flag Football opens the door for girls (and college women) to personally participate, at last. The sport is a part of a broader movement to expand opportunities for girls in athletics.
Being a PIAA-sanctioned sport means schools can offer better resources — like funding, trained coaches, and organized competitions. It gives legitimacy to the sport and ensures girls across the state have an equal opportunity to play. It’s also a win for Title IX, which supports gender equity in school sports, where girls have been traditionally shorted.
But the excitement doesn’t stop in Pennsylvania. Flag Football will be an Olympic sport at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles! The sport these high school athletes are learning now could take them all the way to the world stage. Imagine a player from our local schools earning a spot on an Olympic team! This announcement will no doubt encourage Flag Football teams at more colleges and universities — so far there are 15 NAIA schools that offer scholarships.
It’s not just a game! By getting on the field, Girls Flag Football players are challenging stereotypes, building confidence, and creating new opportunities for themselves and future players. PIAA’s recognition legitimizes a girl’s place in the country’s most popular sport – no longer resorted to cheering from the sidelines but respected on the playing field, as well.
Keep an eye out for those Friday night lights shining a little brighter — not just for the boys in helmets and pads, but for the girls with their flags, sprinting towards a touchdown and breaking new ground in Pennsylvania sports.
ℹ️ FUN FACT: Holy Family University recently joined the Atlantic East Division, joining Centenary, Immaculata, Marymount, Neumann, and Eastern University. The top four teams will compete for the Atlantic East Conference Championship in April of 2025.
❓🧠 DID YOU KNOW…?
For a small town, Abington has deep connections to American sports history! Reggie Jackson was born here, and would go on to be a five-time MLB Champion and 14-time MLB All Star. For almost a hundred years, Memorial Field was the site of the area’s biggest football rivalry, when Abington faced Cheltenham in a highly-anticipated annual clash. This field would launch five stellar NFL careers, not including Craig Reynolds and Kyle Pitts (who both played for Abington back in the day).
Knowing our history, there’s a good chance this wide expanse of green may have hosted even earlier sports – perhaps the Lenni Lenape’s Pahsahëman, which may be a precursor to our American football. This kicking and passing game pitted men against women on an open field about 150 feet long. Play involved an elongated ball made of deer skin and stuffed with hair, stitched in the middle where players gripped it.
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