Girls will be able to play flag football in high school in California in the 2023-24 academic year.
The state revealed that they had approved a plan so that girls could play flag football at high schools across the state. ABC News wrote, “California approved a plan Friday to make flag football a girls’ high school sport amid soaring popularity of the game and a push to get more female athletes on the field.”
They continued, “The move by the California Interscholastic Federation — the statewide body that governs high school athletics — makes flag football an official sport for girls in the nation’s most populous state for the upcoming 2023-24 year. The plan was approved unanimously by the organization’s federated council in Long Beach, said Rebecca Brutlag, an agency spokesperson.”
California is the latest school to recognize girls’ flag football as an official sport. Earlier in the week, the state of New York announced they were next, an announcement made in conjunction with the NFL’s New York Giants.
According to the ABC News article, Alabama and Nevada have also recently recognized girls’ flag football as an official high school sport. The expectation seems to be that more states across the U.S. may be in line. The sport has seen a significant uptick in popularity due to several reasons, one of which is the NFL getting involved.
[ABC News]
