Sanctioning
Where girls' flag is a varsity sport.
Track which states have sanctioned girls' varsity flag football, which are piloting, and which still need advocacy. Sanctioned and pilot are different statuses here.
States sanctioned
24
State HSAA voted to recognize girls' HS flag varsity; live table with documented fallbackThe Boston Globe (Rhode Island Interscholastic League sanctioning announcement, 24th state)
Sanctioning or piloting
37
States sanctioning or piloting girls HS flag football, projected by the 2026-27 seasonNFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey
College programs
100+
College programs sponsoring or planning to sponsor women's flag football for 2026-27 (NCAA floor; NAIA/NJCAA/club programs add to this)NCAA.org
HS participants
102,360
Girls playing HS flag football nationally (2025-26 season, up 48.7% from 68,847 in 2024-25)NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey
Olympic debut
LA28
5-on-5 with 10-athlete rostersLA28.org
NCAA status
Emerging Sport for Women
Added effective 2026-01-16NCAA.org
Eligibility varies by state
HS eligibility — confirm your state’s HSAA rules before season starts
GPA floors, age + grade cutoffs, transfer rules, eight-semester limits, and NIL policies are set state-by-state by each High School Athletic Association (HSAA) — not by FlagPlay, the NCAA, or NFHS. Two athletes with the same DOB can have different eligibility windows depending on which state they play in. Click your state below for its governing-body link, then check the HSAA rulebook directly before signing letters of intent or NIL deals. We surface the link; the authoritative source is always your state.
Tap any state for details. Tile-grid layout — equal weight per state for easier interaction on mobile.
All 50 states + DC
| Governing body | Championship | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama AL | Sanctioned | 2021 | Alabama High School Athletic Association | AHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship December | — |
Alaska AK | Sanctioned | — | Alaska School Activities Association | ASAA Flag Football State Championship October | — |
Arizona AZ | Sanctioned | 2023 | Arizona Interscholastic Association | AIA Girls Flag Football State Championship November | 54 |
Arkansas AR | No program | — | — | — | — |
California CA | Sanctioned | 2024 | California Interscholastic Federation | CIF Girls Flag Football State Championship November | 200 |
Colorado CO | Sanctioned | 2024 | Colorado High School Activities Association | CHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship October | — |
Connecticut CT | Sanctioned | — | Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference | CIAC Girls Flag Football State Championship | — |
Delaware DE | Pre-pilot | — | Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association | — | — |
District of Columbia DC | Sanctioned | 2026 | DC State Athletic Association | — | — |
Florida FL | Sanctioned | 2006 | Florida High School Athletic Association | FHSAA Flag Football State Championships May | 360 |
Georgia GA | Sanctioned | 2020 | Georgia High School Association | GHSA Girls Flag Football State Championship December | 300 |
Hawaii HI | Sanctioned | — | Hawaii High School Athletic Association | HHSAA Girls Flag Football Championship | — |
Idaho ID | Pre-pilot | — | — | — | — |
Illinois IL | Sanctioned | 2024 | Illinois High School Association | IHSA Girls Flag Football State Championship October | — |
Indiana IN | Pilot | — | Indiana High School Athletic Association | — | 78 |
Iowa IA | Pre-pilot | — | — | — | — |
Kansas KS | Sanctioned | 2026 | Kansas State High School Activities Association | KSHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship October | — |
Kentucky KY | Sanctioned | 2027 | Kentucky High School Athletic Association | KHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship May | — |
Louisiana LA | Pilot | — | Louisiana High School Athletic Association | — | — |
Maine ME | No program | — | — | — | — |
Maryland MD | Sanctioned | 2026 | Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association | MPSSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship November | — |
Massachusetts MA | Pilot | — | Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association | — | 51 |
Michigan MI | Pilot | — | Michigan High School Athletic Association | — | — |
Minnesota MN | Pilot | — | Minnesota State High School League | — | 104 |
Mississippi MS | Sanctioned | 2025 | Mississippi High School Activities Association | MHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship May | — |
Missouri MO | Pilot | — | Missouri State High School Activities Association | — | — |
Montana MT | Pilot | — | Montana High School Association | — | — |
Nebraska NE | No program | — | — | — | — |
Nevada NV | Sanctioned | 2017 | Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association | NIAA Girls Flag Football State Championship February | 60 |
New Hampshire NH | No program | — | — | — | — |
New Jersey NJ | Sanctioned | 2026 | New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association | NJSIAA Girls Flag Football State Championship November | 160 |
New Mexico NM | Pilot | — | — | — | — |
New York NY | Sanctioned | 2024 | New York State Public High School Athletic Association | NYSPHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship June | — |
North Carolina NC | Sanctioned | 2026 | North Carolina High School Athletic Association | NCHSAA Women's Flag Football State Championship November | — |
North Dakota ND | Pilot | — | North Dakota High School Activities Association | — | — |
Ohio OH | Sanctioned | 2025 | Ohio High School Athletic Association | OHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship May | 120 |
Oklahoma OK | Pilot | — | Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association | — | — |
Oregon OR | Pilot | — | Oregon School Activities Association | — | — |
Pennsylvania PA | Sanctioned | 2024 | Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association | PIAA Girls Flag Football State Championship May | 100 |
Rhode Island RI | Sanctioned | 2027 | Rhode Island Interscholastic League | — | — |
South Carolina SC | Pilot | — | South Carolina High School League | — | — |
South Dakota SD | Pilot | — | — | — | — |
Tennessee TN | Sanctioned | 2024 | Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association | TSSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship May | — |
Texas TX | Pilot | — | University Interscholastic League | — | 200 |
Utah UT | Pilot | — | — | — | — |
Vermont VT | Pre-pilot | — | — | — | — |
Virginia VA | Pilot | — | Virginia High School League | — | — |
Washington WA | Sanctioned | 2025 | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association | WIAA Girls Flag Football State Championships February | — |
West Virginia WV | No program | — | — | — | — |
Wisconsin WI | Pilot | — | Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association | — | 20 |
Wyoming WY | No program | — | — | — | — |
Take action
Bring it to your school
Six steps from “we want this” to a varsity program. Most schools that apply land sanctioned status within 12-18 months.
- Contact your school's Athletic Director.
- Recruit a head coach + 10–15 athletes per team.
- Connect with your state High School Athletic Association — use the governing-body link in the state row above.
- Adopt your state's rule set: NFHS national rulebook (coming), HSAA rules in sanctioned states, or local league rules in pilots.
- Survey parent + student interest; secure budget for uniforms + officials.
- Apply for grants + local business sponsorships.
Advocacy
Request your state get sanctioned
Want FlagPlay to advocate for your state? Tell us why your community is ready. We pass every request to the state HSAA along with our roster + interest data.
Tip — open any state above and use the “Advocate for {state}” button to pre-fill the form with your state.
Drill in
Looking for recruits, programs, or pilot status by state?
Every state has its own page with sanctioning detail, championship info, and verified recruits.
How sanctioning connects to LA28 and college recruiting