I was unsure of what to expect at the recent Wake County Schools girls flag football kickoff event with the Carolina Panthers. However, what I saw surpassed my initial expectations.

I am not the only person either.

According to Deran Coe, the athletic director for Wake County Public School System, he initially anticipated a few schools to take part in the trial program this year. Surprisingly, after he introduced it to the athletic directors of Wake County’s high schools, 19 out of 25 schools decided to have teams. Additionally, Cardinal Gibbons also joined, making it a total of 20 participating schools.

Over 500 student-athletes will take part in the first year of the Wake County girls’ flag football program.

“I have received phone calls and emails from student-athletes at several schools that opted out of participation this year. They expressed some disappointment but are hoping to join in next year,” Coe shared with me during the event.

The program was initiated with a $50,000 grant from the Carolina Panthers to Wake County, providing new uniforms for all participating teams. The NFL has shown support for girls flag football on a national level, and this is not the first instance of the Panthers launching a program.

The Panthers franchise provided support for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools to become the first district to implement the sport. Cabarrus County Schools and Union County Schools have also followed suit. Wake County will soon become the fourth district to introduce the program.

The National Football League (NFL) aims to expand the availability of girls flag football throughout the country, giving female athletes the chance to participate in football. In the future, the NFL envisions creating a devoted following for the sport. The Carolina Panthers are currently traveling around the state and investing resources to promote the growth of the sport, with the goal of reaching the necessary level to request official recognition from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Riley Fields, the Director of Community Relations for the Carolina Panthers, shared that Wake County Public Schools is taking action this winter by launching a program. This is a crucial step towards potentially getting women’s high school flag football sanctioned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. The ultimate goal is to provide girls in the state with the chance to compete for state championships and proudly represent their school in the sport of girls flag football in the near future.

“It is likely to occur sooner than anticipated, which is significant. The NCHSAA rarely approves new sports. This year, the organization has officially recognized girls’ wrestling for the first time. The last sport to be sanctioned by the NCHSAA was lacrosse in the 2009-2010 academic year.”

Why do I anticipate this happening quickly?

According to the NCHSAA rules, either 25% of all members or 50% of the teams in a specific sport must agree before the board of directors can officially approve it. With 440 members expected next year, this would require approximately 110 schools to adopt the sport, or half of a class which could be around 55 schools, depending on their classification.

I was informed that 36 schools in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, and Union counties currently have girls flag football teams. With the addition of Wake County, the total number becomes 56. In March, four more schools in New Hanover County will be added, bringing the total to 60. There is potential for other districts to join in the future.

The majority of the schools involved are classified as 4A, potentially pushing the Panthers towards the 50% mark for a single classification as early as this year.

This does not necessarily indicate that girls’ flag football will be recognized as an official sport by the NCHSAA in the current or upcoming year. According to NCHSAA rules, a certain requirement must be fulfilled and maintained for a period of two years before the board can approve the addition of a new sport.

There is another event in two years that may simplify this process significantly – realignment.

Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, our classification system will change from four categories to eight. This will result in a lower requirement for sports to be eligible for sanctioning. Each class can only have a maximum of 64 schools, meaning that a class must have at least 32 teams for the board to consider sanctioning it. This number has already been reached.

Could girls flag football become an officially recognized sport in North Carolina within the next two to three years? It is highly probable.

However, there is one major exception to this. Meeting the criteria alone does not guarantee that the sport will be officially recognized. The NCHSAA Board of Directors must vote in favor of sanctioning it, similar to how they voted to sanction girls wrestling. While there is a possibility of it being rejected, I believe it is highly improbable. The growing popularity of the sport nationwide, endorsement from the Carolina Panthers, and ongoing discussions among districts about the logistics of sanctioning suggest that it will eventually become a reality.

There are matters that need to be resolved, including determining the timing of the season. Currently, eight states in the country have approved the sport and two more are projected to do so this year. Among the states that offer girls flag football, five hold it in the autumn, two in the spring, and one in the winter.

On January 27, Wake County will start its first season. On March 16, New Hanover County will follow suit. It is expected that more counties will follow suit as girls’ flag football moves towards being officially recognized in North Carolina.

Source: highschoolot.com