Emerging Sport: Girls’ Flag Football

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-weighs-making-flag-football-girls-school-sport-96877281 

This is an exciting time for women’s sports. California joined Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and New York when the California Interscholastic Federation voted unanimously on February 3, 2023, to sanction high school girls’ flag football (7 v 7). The first season will start in California in the fall of 2023.

Is Women’s Flag Football a college sport?

Currently, 19 NAIA colleges offer women’s flag football as an emerging sport. The NCAA has not recognized the sport yet, but a few junior colleges have started teams. 

Are athletic scholarships available for Women’s Flag Football?

Each NAIA school that started a flag football team was offered a $15,000 stipend to provide athletic scholarships to student-athletes. The distribution of these funds is up to the discretion of each coach and student-athletes may also be considered for other forms of financial aid.

What should you do if you want to get recruited for Women’s Flag Football?

The recruiting process happens primarily during a high school athlete’s junior and senior years. Click on the links above to find out which colleges have started teams and visit their websites to learn more about their programs. Complete their online recruiting questionnaire or email the coach directly with your student-athlete profile and recruiting video. Since this is a new sport and many high schools are just getting their programs started, coaches are looking to recruit players with athleticism and may have to compromise on years worth of experience until the sport is better established. 

NAIA Eligibility Center

Since most of the schools offering this sport are members of the NAIA, make sure to register for the NAIA Eligibility Center.