PIAA officially sanctions girls' flag football in Pennsylvania thanks to support from Eagles and Steelers
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) has declared girls' flag football as an official sport sanctioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, beginning 2025-2026. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the PIAA now joins 12 other state associations to sanction girl's flag football.
The sport was approved in a meeting Wednesday in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, by the PIAA Board of Directors.
For the sport to become state-sanctioned, the PIAA required at least 100 participating teams across the Commonwealth. Thanks to the combined efforts from the the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, that threshold was achieved in April.
"We're thrilled that we can offer another opportunity for girls to participate interscholastic athletics," Frank Majikes, the PIAA president, said in a statement. "This is the second girls' sport in two years to be approved. In recognizing the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS), we will be initiating development of a girls' flag football rules book in January 2025. This will allow us to develop our process to host a championship. The structural changes to the sport won't begin until the 2025-26 school year. The PIAA thanks the National Football League, Eagles, and Steelers for their support and efforts for girls' flag football."
The Eagles and Steelers have worked together over the past three flag football seasons to grow the sport at the youth level through education, engagement and providing equipment and resources.
The Eagles Girls' Flag League kicked off in 2022 with 16 schools from the Philadelphia Public and Catholic Leagues. By 2023, it expanded to 38 teams, and by 2024, it grew to 65.
Both the Philadelphia Public and Catholic Leagues now recognize girls' flag football as an official sport, appointing league chairs and hosting their own championships.
Currently, more than 1,600 girls participate in the Eagles Girls' Flag League across eastern Pennsylvania.
The Eagles have also supported the sport by hosting learn-to-play events, coaching and officiating clinics, a sports performance combine, flag football jamborees and championships at the NovaCare Complex and Lincoln Financial Field.
"This is not just an important day for the Eagles and Steelers, but for the sport of football and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Jeffrey Lurie, the Chairman and CEO of the Philadelphia Eagles, said in a statement. "When we launched our girls' flag football league in 2022, we set an ambitious five-year goal to get the sport sanctioned in our state. Now, here we are three seasons later and two years ahead of schedule. The sport's organic growth is a credit to the participants, administrators, coaches, officials, and parents who helped raise the profile of girls' flag football. We thank the PIAA for their leadership in recognizing a sport that has the power to unlock new pathways and opportunities for girls of all ages in every community."
In 2022, the Steelers Girls' Flag Football League started with just six schools, with the first championship game held at Acrisure Stadium. The team also hosted its first Steelers Flag Jamboree, a free camp for girls in grades 7-12 interested in learning more about flag football.
By 2023, the league expanded to 17 schools, and the Steelers introduced the "Steelers Showcase Game of the Week," where current players attended games to support the teams and highlight standout performances.
Ahead of the 2023 season, the team unveiled uniforms at Acrisure Stadium that hung in the Steelers locker room.
This year, the league grew to 36 high schools, and the Steelers hosted a girls' flag football coaching clinic and college showcase, with the championship game held at Carnegie Mellon University.
"We are excited to see such a groundbreaking moment for the future of girls' flag football," Art Rooney II, the president of the Steelers, said in a statement. "It has been great working with the Eagles to accomplish a successful ruling that will now give young girls the chance to compete at a state level. We look forward to seeing how girls' flag football continues to grow in Pennsylvania and worldwide."
The Eagles and Steelers will provide first-year programs with a $3,000 stipend, while returning schools get $1,500. USA Football and Nike have also made efforts to help grow girls' flag football. Nike will provide 25 custom uniforms, 30 flag belts and six footballs, while USA Football will provide flag kits that include flags, cones and footballs.
According to the NFHS, 42,955 girls participated in flag football in the 2023-24 school year.
The other 12 states to have state associations sanction girls flag football, include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New York and Tennessee.
