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| Carly Kray of Ashtabula Edgewood High School (Ohio) attempts to secure the flag during the flag football championship tournament at Huntington Bank Field. (Photo: Matt Smith/Contributing to Ohsfbmedia.com) |
NATIONAL--The popularity and organization of high school flag football are increasing, as indicated by the NFHS Flag Football Rules Committee's release of its initial set of rules, according to their press release.
The committee, consisting of 11 members, convened earlier this year to establish the inaugural national regulations for high school flag football.
The press release provided in the link below clarifies the interpretation of the rules. (Each athletic association will adhere closely to this, although some rules may vary, including field size, team size, and the procedure for kicking field goals.)
The popularity of flag football, for boys' and girls', has been growing at the youth levels for the past 10 years - said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS.
In 2023, about 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football, a 63 percent increase since 2019. At a higher level of competition, more universities are beginning to offer flag football for girls, which will certainly enhance the appeal for girls playing the sport at the high school level. And internationally, the sport received a huge boost with the addition of flag football as an Olympic sport for men and women at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
"The NFHS looks forward to being involved with the continued growth of flag football in schools nationwide, particularly now with playing rules specifically for the high school game, as more opportunities for participation unfold in all 50 states," Niehoff concluded.
Flag football marks the 18th sport for which the NFHS has established national playing rules, and it is the first new sport introduced since the year 2000.
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