By: Joe Schmidt, Fall ’23 Intern

     People are always on the lookout for the next big thing. This is especially true when it comes to the world of sports and entertainment. Fortunately, you may not have to look far. With more than 20 million participants globally, flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
     In the United States alone it is estimated that 2.4 million kids under the age of 17 play some form of organized flag football, according to the International Federation of American Football.  Approximately 470,000 girls between the ages of 6 and 17 years old played organized flag football in 2022. Since 2019, that is a 63% increase in participation. Along with that number, 15,716 girls were able to play varsity flag football for their high schools in the 2021-2022 season. This massive growth in such a short period of time has led some states to start the process of making flag football a sanctioned varsity sport.
     The rise in popularity of flag football in the United States has not only been supported by the NFL and the NFL Flag League but can also be credited with sparking the growth as well. The NFL views flag football as the most inclusive and accessible version of the sport of football and another way to grow the game. The NFL has provided support and funding to states where flag football’s popularity is rising. New York State has received this support from the NFL. The three New York-affiliated NFL teams (Giants, Jets, Bills) have formed a coalition to help support and create flag football programs for schools around the state. The coalition of the Giants, Jets, and Bills, along with the NFL Foundation, donated significant capital to programs that helped pay for the start-up costs of the programs. Additionally, Nike donated $100,000 in 2021 to be distributed evenly to teams across the participating sections to help pay for uniforms for their teams.
   “We are grateful the NFL teams and Nike provided this funding to our member schools for this program,” said NYSPHSAA Assistant Director Todd Nelson, also the liaison to the program. “Our member schools were able to kick start this program and get girls involved in the game of football which played right into our goal of increased participation in school-sponsored sports. Schools have seen an immense growth since the first year and now we have the association’s first state championship scheduled for 2024.”
      With the support of the NFL and Nike, flag football grew instantly and was immediately declared an “emerging” sport in 2021 in New York State because four sections had at least four programs. Within one year, there were six sections with at least four programs, which qualified the sport for championship play. Due to that growth, on February 1, 2022, Flag Football was officially recognized by NYSPHSAA as a high school state championship sport starting in the 2024 spring sports season. The announcement, made on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, sparked much excitement from around the state.
“It is phenomenal for girls in high school to have an additional sport to participate in,” said Marissa Dauria, Co-State Coordinator of the Flag Football State Committee. “In the United States, football is widely popular and has many female fans. This gives females another way to engage with the sport and enjoy that "Friday Night Lights" feeling themselves.”
    The support from the NFL has not ended since flag football has become a state championship sport. After the inaugural season in 2022, the New York Giants invited the Binghamton High School (IV) and Brewster High School (I) flag football teams to play at halftime of the Giants preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals on August 21, 2022, in celebration of winning their respective section championships.  Binghamton Head Coach Vaughn Labor and Brewster Head Coach Matt Cunningham were honored as the Lou Rettino High School Coaches of the Week by the Giants for weeks 1 and 2 of the 2022 season. Additionally, Coach Dylan Everleth of Saranac High School (VII) was named the recipient of the Lou Rettino High School Coach of the Week for week 1 of the 2023 season.
    “The Giants, their support, and the players themselves have been the most instrumental in growing the sport of flag football,” said Cunningham. “This has been such a great opportunity. We are so thankful to the Giants for all the support that they have provided to grow the sport.  It's a true community effort for all involved.”
    “I am very grateful for being honored as a [Lou Rettino High School] Coach of the Week by the Giants,” said Everleth. “I am even more appreciative for the positive impact that it has had on our flag football program here at Saranac as well as the sport as a whole. I believe that this award has done nothing short of help bring a positive light to flag football in both our community and across the state.”
    Each coach received a donation of $2,000 for their flag football program by the Giants and Gatorade. They were also honored at a dinner following the season and at a preseason game the following year. 
    This spring, 185 programs within the NYSPHSAA membership are expected to participate in a full season and then be eligible for the inaugural flag football state championship on June 1-2. On September 26^th, the NYSPHSAA staff and Flag Football State Committee convened to discuss three bids submitted to host the first state championship. The sites putting a bid forward were Buffalo State College, the greater Cortland area, and the Long Island area. On October 18^th, the NYSPHSAA Executive Committee voted to approve the greater Cortland area as the site for the inaugural NYSPHSAA Flag Football State Championships. The State Championships will remain in the greater Cortland area from 2024-2026. The Executive Committee also approved three-game rules to be implemented in the 2024 season. Several more rules will be approved at the next Executive Committee meeting on January 31^st.
      With both the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) declaring flag football as an emerging sport, there is also a rise in flag football in college athletics. The NAIA has 23 schools planning to participate in the 2023-2024 upcoming women’s flag football season.  The Atlantic East Conference has announced its plans to offer women’s flag football as a varsity sport in the Spring of 2025. This will mark the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference, in any division, to offer varsity flag football.
     “I think this sport [flag football] will take off at the college level as popularity at the high school level grows,” Dauria says. “[T]here is already a local college in Buffalo, NY that has added Flag [football] for spring 2024.” Villa Maria College and their program’s head coach, Keith Wing who is also the Williamsville South High School (VI) girls' flag football coach, have begun recruiting in the Western New York region and around the country. Villa Maria College’s flag football team will be playing their season in Canada’s Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Football Association.
    The popularity of the game has been noticed on the international stage. The International Olympic Committee has voted to allow flag football to be added as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. When added, flag football will not only grow but explode in popularity with a spotlight being put on the sport at the world’s biggest stage for athletics.
The rise in popularity of flag football will continue as time goes on. “I see the game of flag football continuing to grow every year. I see not only the size of the leagues continuing to grow but also the game itself,” says Everleth. Cunningham said, “We see flag football continuing to grow each year. The players have been the best advocates for the growth of the sport.” With the upcoming inaugural New York State Flag Football Championship, the growth of flag football is only just beginning in New York.