Illinois to hold first high school girls flag football state championship in fall
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Girls flag football will become the newest high school sport to have a state-sanctioned championship this fall, the Illinois High School Association announced on Wednesday.
The IHSA Board of Directors approved the Girls Flag Football State Series earlier this month. The IHSA announced the new series on Wednesday in collaboration with the Chicago Public League and Chicago Bears.
"It is important for the IHSA to continue to adapt to the interests of our students and schools," said Dan Tully, president of the IHSA Board of Directors and principal at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, in a statement. "Girls Flag Football is somewhat unprecedented in terms of its growth and the timeline for achieving an IHSA State Series. We expect that momentum to carryover and participation to continue to grow in the years ahead."
Girls flag football is just the latest addition to the list of sports and activities sanctioned by the IHSA, the body that regulates competitive interscholastic sports and activities at the high school level in Illinois. In recent years, the association has added girls wrestling, Esports, boys and girls lacrosse and competitive dance to its list of competitive sports and activities.
More than 100 schools have already established girls flag football teams. Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Bears partnered to host a state championship event at Halas Hall, the Bears practice facility, in 2022 and 2023.
The IHSA Girls Flag Football Advisory Committee needs to finalize the rulebook and structure of the state series in upcoming meetings.
The inaugural IHSA Girls Flag Football State Finals will take place on Oct. 11 and 12.
