Darren Kinnard/River Radio Sports Central
The Illinois High School Association will add a new sport for the 2024-25 school year–girls flag football. That announcement came Wednesday morning at a press conference held at Halas Hall, headquarters for the Chicago Bears in Lake Forest.
“The addition of Girls Flag Football furthers the IHSA mission of creating participation opportunities for high school students in Illinois,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “The sport has experienced significant growth in a short amount of time, and our member schools are excited to see it become an IHSA sport. The Chicago Public Schools Athletic Administration and the Chicago Bears both deserve significant praise for their grassroots efforts in shepherding and supporting the growth of girls flag football in Illinois.”
Organizers believe the official sanctioning of girls flag football will help the sport grow statewide quickly. It happened with girls wrestling, where participation numbers have nearly tripled since its start as an IHSA sport two years ago.
“By providing opportunities for talented girls and women, we will be able to follow some of the world’s best athletes competing on local, national and international platforms, leading to the 2028 Summer Olympics,” said Chicago Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren. “The Chicago Bears remain committed to aggressively championing the growth of girls’ flag football. This is the beginning, but access and equity begin with these historical first moments that make the Chicago Bears, and me personally, inspired for the future of girls’ flag football for generations to come.”
The newest IHSA sport will include a state tournament and championship. The organization’s Board of Directors approved the Girls Flag Football State Series during their regularly scheduled meeting earlier this month. The inaugural IHSA Girls Flag Football State Finals will take place on Friday and Saturday, October 11-12, 2024 at a yet to be determined site. In its release, the IHSA stated it would create a Request For Proposals in order to find sites interested in hosting the State Finals at an upcoming Board meeting.
In that release, the IHSA stated it has commitments from more than 100 schools to participate in the inaugural State Series in 2024, while nearly 40 other schools have expressed that they anticipate fielding a team in 2025.
The IHSA Girls Flag Football Advisory Committee has met twice previously and will look to finalize the rulebook and structure of the State Series at upcoming meetings. One area of concern is the current shortage of officials.
“There is a lot of work to done before we crown the first IHSA Girls Flag Football State Champion,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director Tracie Henry, who will serve as the IHSA Girls Flag Football administrator. “We have a group of people who are dedicated to seeing the sport flourish and putting on a first-class state tournament. One area where we know we will need help is with officiating. We hope we can recruit some new officials to the sport, while also having current IHSA officials in other sports, including 11-player and 8-player football, add licenses to referee girls flag football as well.”
Individuals interested in becoming IHSA Girls Flag Football officials can begin licensing on May 1, 2024.
The IHSA will offer a State Series in 40 total sports and activities in 2024-25, in addition to its Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, Unified games via its partnership with Special Olympics, and Athletes with Disabilities divisions in multiple sports.
