Which states have girls high school flag football?

How many states sanction girls flag football?

23 states plus Washington, D.C., as of November 3, 2026, by our count. Sanctioned means the state's high school association voted to make it an official varsity sport with a state championship. News reports say 24 or 25 because some count D.C., include Connecticut or count a state before its first season.

23 states plus Washington, D.C., as of November 3, 2026. Sanctioned means the state's high school athletic association has voted to make girls flag football an official varsity sport with a state championship.

You will see other numbers, and that's normal. News stories about Oregon's October 2026 vote called it the 25th state. A USA Today list from August 2026 counted 24, with Washington, D.C. included. Counts differ for three reasons:

• Some lists count Washington, D.C. as a state. We list it but don't count it as one.
• Some lists include Connecticut. There, a state flag football championship is run under the Connecticut Association of Schools, but we could not find a vote making it a sanctioned sport, and Rhode Island calls itself the first New England state to sanction it. We left Connecticut out.
• Some count a state on the day of the vote; others wait for the first season. Kentucky voted in 2026 but its first sanctioned season is 2027-28. We count it.

Which states sanction girls flag football?

As of November 3, 2026, 23 states plus Washington, D.C. sanction it. Florida was first, in 2003, and Oregon was the most recent, on October 12, 2026. Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and New Jersey also approved it in 2026, while Texas, Indiana, Louisiana and Montana run pilot or emerging programs.

Every row below is checked against the state association's own announcement or a news report of the association's vote. The year is when the association approved it; play often started earlier as a club or pilot.

What does it mean when a state sanctions flag football?

It means schools can field varsity teams under the state association's rules, and the association runs a state championship. Before that, most states treat it as an emerging sport or pilot, often with NFL team support. Sanctioning adds a varsity letter and a state title, but doesn't change whether a college coach can recruit you.

When a state association sanctions a sport, schools can field varsity teams under the association's rules, and the association runs a state championship. Before that, most states treat flag football as an emerging sport or a pilot, often with funding and equipment from the local NFL team.

Each state sets its own bar for moving up. Rhode Island needs 25 percent of member schools to petition its board, and 16 of 56 schools did in August 2026. Indiana needs 100 teams. Louisiana requires a two-year probationary period as a pilot program, and Montana requires a two-year provisional period as an emerging sport before members vote.

For you, sanctioning mostly changes what's around the game: a varsity letter, a state title to play for, and more schools adding teams. It doesn't change whether a college coach can recruit you.

Which states are close to sanctioning it?

Texas approved an official UIL pilot for 2028-29, and Indiana passed the IHSAA's 100-team threshold in July 2026 with 108 teams, so a sanctioning vote could come in May 2027. Louisiana is in a two-year probationary pilot, Montana lists it as an emerging sport, and the NFHS expects 37 states with programs by next year.

• Texas: in October 2026 the UIL approved girls flag football as an official pilot program for the 2028-29 school year. That is a pilot, not full sanctioning.
• Indiana: the sport is an IHSAA emerging sport. In July 2026 it passed the 100-team threshold the IHSAA requires, with 108 teams, and a vote on full sanctioning could come as early as May 2027.
• Louisiana: the LHSAA executive committee added girls flag football in 2025 under a two-year probationary pilot. The LHSAA still lists it as non-sanctioned and says the second pilot year is 2027.
• Montana: the MHSA lists it as an emerging sport in its provisional period.

Nationally, the NFHS says 37 states will be either sanctioning the sport or running independent or pilot programs by next year.

How many girls play high school flag football?

102,360 girls at 3,990 high schools played in 2025-26, according to the NFHS participation survey, up 48.7 percent in one year. That makes flag football one of the 10 most popular high school sports for girls, and it has grown from 15,716 players in 2021-22.

102,360 girls at 3,990 high schools in 2025-26, according to the NFHS participation survey. That is up 48.7 percent in one year, and flag football is now one of the 10 most popular high school sports for girls.

These counts include schools in states with pilot programs, not just sanctioned states.

What if your state doesn't sanction it yet?

You can still play and still be recruited. Ask your athletic director about a club or pilot team, look for an NFL FLAG league or club nearby, and play other sports too. Keep stats and film your best plays, because colleges have no rule against recruiting players from states without varsity flag football.

You can still play, and you can still be recruited. Start with what's near you:

• Ask your athletic director whether your school has a club or pilot team, or could start one. Many pilots began with a few schools and an NFL team's support.
• Look for an NFL FLAG league or a club team in your area. Use the league finder at nflflag.com.
• Play other sports too. Speed, hands and reading the field carry over.
• Keep stats from every game and film your best plays, even in a club or pilot league.

If you are a strong player in a state without varsity flag football, colleges have no rule against recruiting you. Coaches care about what you can do on the field and in the classroom. For where the sport stands in college, see is flag football an NCAA sport, and for the money side, flag football scholarships.

Can you get recruited from any state?

Yes. College coaches recruit wherever the players are. A sanctioned state gives you more games and attention, but coaches decide on your film, stats, position and grades. The work is the same everywhere: build game film, email coaches at programs that fit you, and keep them updated with new results.

Yes. College coaches recruit from wherever the players are. A sanctioned state gives you more games, a state title and more attention, but what a coach decides on is your film, your stats, your position and your grades.

That means the work is the same in every state: put together game film, write to the coaches at programs that fit you, and keep them updated. Our guide on how to get recruited for flag football walks through each step, and flag football recruiting on REACH shows how the app handles it. You can also browse women's college flag football programs by level, and see how many college programs in every REACH sport are in your state in college programs by state and division.

If your state is new to the sport, say so in your first email to a coach. A coach reading about a player who helped start a team learns something real about you.

How REACH helps

REACH lists 240 women's college flag football programs as of November 2026: 19 NCAA Division I, 47 Division II, 74 Division III, 61 NAIA and 39 junior college. It checks your grades against each school's admissions and shows the cost after aid for your family, then gives every school one fit %. There are no published athletic standards for flag football, so REACH doesn't score athletic fit for it: your film decides that part.

REACH puts you in front of each coach with a note written for that team, with your position, stats and film link. Nothing goes out until you approve it, replies come back into REACH, and parents see every coach message. REACH is free to start; full access is $39 a month or $449 once through graduation. REACH is independent and not affiliated with the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA.

Questions

Is girls flag football a high school sport in Texas?

Not yet as a sanctioned sport. In October 2026 the UIL approved girls flag football as an official pilot program for the 2028-29 school year. Until then, Texas girls play on school club teams, NFL-supported programs and youth leagues.

Is girls flag football a high school sport in Indiana?

It is an IHSAA emerging sport, not yet fully sanctioned. Indiana reached 108 teams in July 2026, past the 100-team threshold the IHSAA requires, and a vote on full sanctioning could come as early as May 2027.

Which state sanctioned girls flag football first?

Florida, in 2003. Its high school association, the FHSAA, has run girls flag football for more than 20 years, long before most states added it.

Why do different websites say a different number of states?

Some count Washington, D.C. as a state, some include Connecticut, and some count a state on the day it votes instead of its first season. By our count, 23 states and Washington, D.C. sanction it as of November 3, 2026. News reports often say 24 or 25.

Can I get recruited if my state doesn't have girls flag football?

Yes. College coaches can recruit you from any state. Play wherever you can, such as a school club team or a youth league, keep your stats and film your games, and email coaches at programs that fit you.

How many girls play high school flag football?

102,360 girls at 3,990 high schools in 2025-26, according to the NFHS. That was a 48.7 percent jump from 68,847 the year before.