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The District of Columbia will add girls flag football to its roster of sanctioned high school sports, the DCSAA announced Sunday on the National Mall during events tied to the NFL Draft countdown. The decision sets up a major expansion of programs across the city beginning in 2026 and signals growing institutional support for the sport nationwide.
What was announced and why it matters
The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCSAA) formalized girls flag football as an official varsity sport, a move that brings the city in line with most other states that have already recognized the discipline. Officials said the change will create a clearer competitive structure and unlock resources for schools looking to launch or scale teams.
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The timing — announced alongside the lead-up to the 2027 NFL Draft in Washington — underscores the NFL’s increasing involvement in developing youth and high school flag football as a pipeline for participation and visibility.
How pro teams are involved
The Washington Commanders publicly pledged support for the expansion, saying the franchise will contribute funding, equipment and coaching resources to help schools build sustainable programs. To mark the announcement, the team ran two flag-football skills clinics for local youth and high school players on the Mall.
- Monetary support and grants
- Training and coaching resources
- Equipment donations and program guidance
Beyond D.C., the Commanders already have partnerships across the DMV, supporting roughly 127 schools in the region. In 2025, the team backed about 51 teams in Maryland and another 51 in Virginia. The Baltimore Ravens also assist programs in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, where Maryland now counts more than 130 participating schools and holds its state finals at M&T Bank Stadium.
Local impact: rapid growth planned for 2026
Participation in the nation’s capital is expected to jump sharply. Nine D.C. high schools fielded girls flag teams in 2025; district officials now project about 25 schools will take part in the 2026 season under the new varsity designation.
The nine programs that played in 2025 include Bell Multicultural, Benjamin Banneker Academic, Coolidge, Eastern Senior, Frank J. Ballou, KIPP DC College Prep, McKinley Technology, School Without Walls and Theodore Roosevelt.
Where D.C. fits in the national picture
D.C. now joins a broad and growing movement: according to the DCSAA announcement, 19 states had already recognized girls flag football as a sanctioned high school sport. Colleges nationwide are expanding opportunities as well — more than 100 institutions now offer some form of flag-football programs — and the sport has been approved to debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Below is the list of states that have previously added girls flag football as an officially sanctioned high school sport:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Washington
Looking ahead
Officials say details on schedules, playoff formats and official classification for the 2026 high school season will be released later. For schools and players, the immediate effects are practical — access to funding, coaching and standardized competition — and symbolic: formal recognition as a varsity sport raises visibility and long-term opportunity for girls interested in football.
As national organizations and professional franchises continue to invest, the next two years are likely to determine how quickly girls flag football matures at the high school and collegiate levels and how it will be integrated into broader athletic programs across the country.
