North Carolina Moves Toward Sanctioning HS Girls’ Flag Football

The N.C. High School Athletic Association board of directors will approve girls' flag football as an official sport within months. A state championship could happen as soon as next school year. The board finished its annual fall meeting Tuesday in Chapel Hill.

"I don't think there's any question that girls' flag football is coming," said board president Stephen Gainey, superintendent of the Randolph County Schools, per the Charlotte Observer.

Board member Sam Jones, principal at West Stokes High, said there is clear momentum. This issue won't get delayed. A committee examining the matter could have a report ready as soon as February, and Gainey said the board might meet then to make a decision.

Two main issues block approval. The board must decide whether the season will be in fall or spring. They also need to figure out how the association can pay for another championship. The NCHSAA ran up a $1.5 million deficit during the 2024-25 school year.

Commissioner Que Tucker expressed concern about dipping into reserves. The organization expanded from four to eight size classifications this year, which doubled the number of state championship events.

"This is the first year of eight classifications, so we are dealing with some unknowns," Tucker said, according to the Charlotte Observer. "We will have to see how it looks after this first year with the eight classifications."

The Carolina Panthers have provided grant money to launch flag football programs across North Carolina. Tucker said she hopes the team will keep providing financial backing. Board members also discussed holding an invitational tournament next fall to determine a champion. This mirrors how girls' wrestling started its sanctioning process.

According to the NFL, 30 states offer girls' flag football. Seventeen states have sanctioned it. Twenty-one states, including North Carolina, run pilot programs. More than 100 teams now compete in the state.

New Hanover County has two teams. One is Ashley High School, which placed first last year and second this year at the club tier. Team captain Mia Agrillo said the sport fulfills a longtime dream.

"I have never touched a flag in my entire life and I showed up one day and absolutely fell in love with the sport," Agrillo said, according to WECT.