High school girls play state-funded flag football and love it

Why it matters: Girls locally and nationwide have played in powder puff games and recreational leagues for years, but designating it an official high school sport will expand programming, funding for schools and competition across the state.

Catch up quick: The Federated Council of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the state's governing body of high school athletics, unanimously approved the plan this year after a surge in interest among recreational leagues.

• More than 40 teams across San Diego County are competing 7-on-7 in four, 12-minute quarters on their high school football fields.
• At least seven other states have sanctioned high school girls flag football, including: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and New York.

What they're saying: "From the parents and the girls, they're both kind of echoing, 'It's about time,'" Mira Mesa High School coach D'Jay Scott told Axios.

• He and his colleagues coach boys varsity, junior varsity and the girls flag football teams.

Zoom in: Summer tryouts in San Diego were flooded with girls looking to join the squad, from seasoned soccer and lacrosse players to those who've never played a sport.

• Turnout for tryouts at Mira Mesa was double the number of spots on the roster.
• At Torrey Pines High School, there was enough interest that more coaches were hired and they made JV teams.
• "It's funny their parents were showing pictures of these girls that played with the boys growing up, but never had their own leagues," Torrey Pines coach Ryland Wickman said.

Reality check: While many schools field teams locally, it can be challenging to find field space and schedule games, coaches say.

• Torrey Pines has played games three days in a row and gone a week between matchups.
• They'll practice, lift weights and watch game footage before and after school, or sometimes during lunch.

State of play: Flag football is already played at the collegiate level and the number of participating schools is growing.

The intrigue: It's also on the cusp of becoming an Olympic sport for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

• The International Olympic Committee is expected to consider and approve the proposal at its meeting that starts Friday.
• "Young women are now seeing there's a pathway to get a scholarship, to get paid playing this sport and to hopefully be able to make it on an Olympic team," Scott said.

💭 Our thought bubble: I played flag football with the boys growing up and was the quarterback for our homecoming powder puff games. I loved playing and would've signed up if it had been offered as a sport in school.