Girls Flag Football Now a Sectioned High School Sport in Illinois
After years of growth in popularity all around the country, Illinois becomes the latest state to sanction girls flag football as an official IHSA sport!
🏈🏆 The #IHSA is proud to announce that its newest sport, GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL, will debut its State Series in 2024-25, with the inaugural IHSA State Finals to be held October 11-12, 2024.
🔗Read More▶️https://t.co/NlTGznqVja pic.twitter.com/dykqwkA2Gy
— Illinois High School Association #IHSA (@IHSA_IL) February 14, 2024
Personally, I LOVE flag football, not only for girls, but for everyone. I love regular football too, don’t get me wrong! Ill be going into my 12th year broadcasting college football, but flag is different. First, I do not compare it to regular football. It’s its own thing, with the focus being on reduction of injuries. The game becomes a lot more about speed and finesse, and less about strength and toughness. I see it as a marriage of basketball and football.
But anyway…when does the inaugural season of flag football start in Illinois? This year! The inaugural IHSA Girls Flag Football State Finals will take place on Friday and Saturday, October 11-12, 2024.
According to the IHSA, 113 schools have shown interesting in committing to a full season of flag football. Practices can begin in August, and teams can play a 25-game regular season.
Girls Flag Football joins a growing list of sports and activities that have recently conducted their inaugural IHSA State Series, including Girls Wrestling (2022), Esports (2022), Boys and Girls Lacrosse (2018), and Competitive Dance (2013).
I fully expect to see a boys flag football option in the near future, provided enough want to play. As the sport progresses, I can certainly see that as a possibility.
Here is a full list of the schools that have shown interest in girls’ flag football:
| Addison (A. Trail) |
| Bartlett |
| Berwyn-Cicero (Morton) |
| Burbank (St. Laurence) |
| Carpentersville (Dundee-Crown) |
| Chicago (Back of the Yards) |
| Chicago (Brooks) |
| Chicago (C. Hope Academy) |
| Chicago (C. Vocational) |
| Chicago (Catalyst/Maria) |
| Chicago (CICS/ChicagoQuest) |
| Chicago (Clark) |
| Chicago (Clemente) |
| Chicago (Corliss) |
| Chicago (Crane Medical Prep) |
| Chicago (Curie) |
| Chicago (De La Salle) |
| Chicago (Dunbar) |
| Chicago (Dyett) |
| Chicago (Englewood STEM) |
| Chicago (Fenger) |
| Chicago (Goode STEM Academy) |
| Chicago (Hancock) |
| Chicago (Harlan) |
| Chicago (Hubbard) |
| Chicago (Hyde Park) |
| Chicago (Intrinsic Charter-Downtown Campus) |
| Chicago (Jones) |
| Chicago (Julian) |
| Chicago (Kelly) |
| Chicago (Kennedy) |
| Chicago (Kenwood) |
| Chicago (King) |
| Chicago (Lake View) |
| Chicago (Lane) |
| Chicago (Lincoln Park) |
| Chicago (Lindblom) |
| Chicago (Little Village) |
| Chicago (Mather) |
| Chicago (Morgan Park) |
| Chicago (Mother McAuley) |
| Chicago (Noble/Comer) |
| Chicago (Noble/Mansueto) |
| Chicago (North Grand) |
| Chicago (Northside) |
| Chicago (Ogden International) |
| Chicago (Orr) |
| Chicago (Payton) |
| Chicago (Perspectives/IIT Math & Science) |
| Chicago (Perspectives/Leadership) |
| Chicago (Phoenix Military Academy) |
| Chicago (Prosser) |
| Chicago (Resurrection) |
| Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) |
| Chicago (Roosevelt) |
| Chicago (Schurz) |
| Chicago (Senn) |
| Chicago (Simeon) |
| Chicago (Solorio Academy) |
| Chicago (Sullivan) |
| Chicago (Taft) |
| Chicago (Tilden) |
| Chicago (Von Steuben) |
| Chicago (Washington) |
| Chicago (Wells) |
| Chicago (Westinghouse) |
| Chicago (Whitney Young) |
| Chicago Heights (Bloom Twp.) |
| Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) |
| Crete (C.-Monee) |
| Danville (H.S.) |
| Deerfield (H.S.) |
| Des Plaines (Maine West) |
| Elgin (Larkin) |
| Evanston (Twp.) |
| Freeport (H.S.) |
| Glenview (Glenbrook South) |
| Grayslake (Central) |
| Grayslake (North) |
| Harvard |
| Kankakee (Sr.) |
| Lincolnshire (Stevenson) |
| Lombard (Glenbard East) |
| Machesney Park (Harlem) |
| Maywood (Proviso East) |
| Melrose Park (Walther Christian) |
| Midlothian (Bremen) |
| Mt. Prospect (Prospect) |
| Northbrook (Glenbrook North) |
| Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest) |
| Palos Hills (Stagg) |
| Park Ridge (Maine East) |
| Park Ridge (Maine South) |
| Peoria (H.S.) |
| Peoria (Richwoods) |
| Richton Park (Rich Township) |
| Rockford (Auburn) |
| Rockford (Boylan Catholic) |
| Rockford (East) |
| Rockford (Jefferson) |
| Rolling Meadows |
| Romeoville (H.S.) |
| Round Lake |
| Skokie (Niles West) |
| South Elgin |
| Streamwood |
| Villa Park (Willowbrook) |
| Wauconda |
| Wilmette (Loyola Academy) |
| Wilmette (Regina Dominican) |
| Winnetka (New Trier) |
| Yorkville (H.S.) |
| Zion (Z.-Benton) |
