Girls Flag Football: Expanding Opportunities, Strengthening Schools, Changing Lives

"80% of my girls never would have went to college without flag football."  ~ Jared Cardarelle, UWP Head Coach Flag Football

What’s your favorite sport?  Similarly to Coach Cardarelle’s statement above about his athletes and going to college, would your favorite sport exist if it weren’t for interscholastic athletics?Middle and High School athletics remain one of the main conduits by which future college and professional athletes are made. Every school district strives to create opportunities that increase student engagement, improve school connectedness, and prepare students for future success. Girls flag football uniquely accomplishes all three. It is one of the fastest-growing high school sports in the country, attracts students who have never before participated in athletics, and is creating new pathways to college scholarships at a time when participation in youth sports has declined nationwide.  Numerous studies demonstrate the correlation between participating in athletics and the positive impact on students both academically and socially-emotionally. The addition of Girls Flag Football will only further a school and district's capacity to capitalize on those benefits for students. 

Roughly 55% of girls who join high school flag football teams have never played a competitive or school sport before.  This translates to tens of thousands of first-time athletes stepping onto the field. Being a newer sport means that playing flag football doesn't require prior experience and is highly accessible; it's become a springboard into athletics for a massive demographic of young women who were previously inactive.  This sport is not pulling from other sports; it's creating athletes. The graphic below is a snapshot of the growth of the sport taken in May of 2026:

On the college level, the NCAA officially added women's flag football as a Varsity Sport and formally recommended it for championship status. Divisions I, II, and III are reviewing proposals to vote in January 2027. If approved, the first official National Collegiate Flag Football Championship will be held in spring 2028.  In Wisconsin, there are eight post-secondary institutions across the state that have started girls flag football programs, many of which are offering scholarships to play. The access and opportunity will only continue to grow with Women’s Flag Football making its debut in the 2028 Olympics. Locally, the momentum surrounding girls' flag football is being felt from Hurley to Kenosha, Wisconsin. There are currently around fifty-eight Wisconsin high school programs that will play in 2026. 

Districts are investing in Girls Flag Football because it: 

  • Engages first-time student-athletes
  • Title IX - Increases female athletic participation
  • Supports school connectedness
  • Creates college scholarship opportunities
  • Low startup costs
  • Significant grant funding available
  • Growing community interest
  • Olympic pathway beginning in 2028 

When asked what inspired Kenosha Unified to launch a girls flag football league with Racine, Whitefish Bay and Cristo Rey, Dr. Weiss stated:  “The Kenosha Unified School District is excited to offer this opportunity for our high school female student athletes to participate in flag football. This provides our students with yet another way to engage in athletics and build school pride.”  ~  Dr. Jeffery Weiss, KUSD Superintendent 

The operational costs of starting and sustaining girls flag football are much more reasonable compared to other sports. The cost to start a program ranges from $ 5,000 to $ 9,000, and the estimated annual cost after start-up is $3,000 to 6,000. School districts in Wisconsin often face the task of passing referendums. The data indicates that districts that link referendums to athletic opportunities have a higher rate of voter support. Studies and election outcomes show that voters are more willing to approve tax increases if the proposal guarantees expanded athletic and recreational access. The community perceives these amenities as direct returns on their tax investment. 

Another difference with girls' flag compared to other sports is that one of the prominent fiscal backers is the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that funding girls' flag football is a long-term investment to expand the game. He noted that engaging young women early builds a lifelong fan base and empowers female athletes. The NFL ran a metric that linked the high correlation between playing and watching, taking that data and running with it to capture female fans in ways they haven’t managed to before. 

Here are some of the grant opportunities available to districts for girls flag football: 

For staffing the sport,  the Milwaukee Reagan Head Football Coach, Greg Roman, has mentored and collaborated with Head Coach Cassie Christiansen to lead their team. There are many men’s head football coaches who are working to develop flag coaches for their schools. In Union Grove, Head Coach Emily Paskiewicz played flag football in college. Coach Paskiewicz is also coaching softball, managing to find time for both sports.  Union Grove took third place in the Green Bay Packers Spring 2026 tournament. Other schools have hired community members and looked to youth coaches to helm their programs.    

The effort to sanction Girls Flag Football in Wisconsin is well underway. A committee has been formed of athletic directors from each district, a game commissioner, flag and eleven-man coaches, and members of the WIAA (Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association) & WFCA (Wisconsin State Football Coaches Association) with the intention to add to the growing number of states that have sanctioned the sport. The goals of the committee are to increase access and opportunity for girls to play flag football, and create the context of those competitions to be high-quality positive growth experiences for female athletes. The WFCA has publicly committed to running a Girls Flag High School State Tournament,  All-Star Game, Athlete / Coaches Recognitions, and scholarships once sanctioned.

So when asked what’s your favorite sport if one didn’t come to mind much like the current girls flag athletes, perhaps you are about to find yours in Girls Flag Football. If one did come to mind, it’s likely the direct result of opportunities students were given to play in school settings. Girls flag football represents more than a new sport. It represents an opportunity to reach students who have never before experienced the benefits of school athletics. As participation, collegiate opportunities, and national recognition continue to expand, districts that invest today will position their students to benefit from one of the fastest-growing athletic movements in the country.  

*Budgetary Graphics and other data points have been supplied by a comprehensive statewide girls flag football plan crafted by college athletic administrator BJ Pickard, Associate Commissioner, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  Here is a QR code that will supply you with access to the plan: 

For more information contact: Michelle Marschel, Girls Flag Football Chair of the WFCA Executive Board & Girls Head Flag Football Coach, Mukwonago High School.
E-mail: [email protected]