Girls flag football is a fast-growing high school sport
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Girls in Michigan and beyond have transformed flag football into one of the fastest-growing high school sports in the country.
Why it matters: Few girls high school sports have moved from niche to mainstream so quickly, broadening athletic opportunities in the process.
By the numbers: More than 102,000 girls played high school flag football in 2025-26, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
- That's a 551% increase in the past four years.
Zoom in: Interest is ballooning in Michigan, but that state hasn't sanctioned it as an official varsity sport,
- The Lions' girls flag football program started in 2023 and grows every year.
- It's up to 80 teams and more than 1,000 participants, per Mid Michigan Now.
Catch up quick: Only 12 states sanctioned high school girls flag football in 2024.
- Currently, 24 states plus Washington, D.C. sanction it as an official varsity sport.
Follow the money: The NFL has invested millions to launch and expand programs, and featured the sport in Super Bowl commercials.
Between the lines: It's not yet clear whether flag football is mostly creating new high school athletes or pulling girls from established sports.
Zoom out: Girls wrestling is undergoing its own boom.
- All 50 states now report girls wrestling participation, and 40 state athletic associations hold championships, up from just five about a decade ago.