Girls flag football is the fastest-growing high school sport
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Girls flag football has become the fastest-growing high school sport, as tens of thousands take up a game that barely had a varsity footprint a few years ago.
Why it matters: Few girls high school sports have moved from niche to mainstream so quickly, broadening athletic opportunities in the process.
Driving the news: The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) lists 158 programs for the 2026 season, nearly triple the roughly 55 schools that participated during the first sanctioned season in 2023.
Zoom in: All five Scottsdale Unified high schools now offer girls flag football, and the area produced two of Arizona's top teams last season.
- Scottsdale Christian finished 16-0 and won the 2025 3A championship.
- Other local programs include Coronado, Desert Mountain, Saguaro, Notre Dame Prep and Scottsdale Prep.
Catch up quick: The AIA sanctioned high school girls flag football in fall 2023.
- Today, 23 states plus Washington, D.C., sanction it as an official varsity sport.
The NFL is backing its growth, too. It's invested millions to launch and expand high school programs, and featured the sport in its Super Bowl commercials.
- Flag football will debut at the 2028 Olympics, and at least 40 NCAA schools already offer it as a collegiate varsity sport.