Four years ago, the NFHS counted 15,716 high school girls playing flag football in the entire country. This past school year, that number was 102,360.
That’s not a trend anymore. That’s a movement, and I’ve had a front-row seat to it.
Updated 2026 Figures show over 102,000 high school athletes are playing flag football.
The new NFHS participation survey came out in September, and girls flag football was the headline. Participation jumped 48.7% in 2025–26. The number of high schools offering the sport went from 2,736 to 3,990 in a single year. That’s over 1,250 new programs in twelve months.
And it’s not slowing down. The year before, the sport grew 60%. The year before that, it more than doubled. Girls flag football is a big reason high school sports just hit a record 8.4 million athletes nationwide.
Why now?
People ask me this all the time. Here’s my honest answer. Four things lined up at once.
- The NFL went all in. Teams across the league are funding high school leagues, equipment and showcases, and pushing state associations to make it official.
- The Olympics. Flag football is coming to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, for women and men. Every girl playing right now has a real dream to chase.
- Colleges caught up. The NAIA has crowned a national champion every year since 2021. In January 2026, the NCAA added flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program. In May, an NCAA committee recommended a national championship, with the first one in spring 2028 if all three divisions approve it in January.
- It became a “real” high school sport. The NFHS published its first official flag football rulebook in 2025. As of this fall, 23 states plus Washington, D.C. have officially sanctioned it.
What it looks like here in Texas
Texas is the wild card. The UIL still hasn’t sanctioned girls flag football. But the girls aren’t waiting.
At a UIL meeting in June, the Dallas Cowboys’ Charlotte Jones said more than 4,000 Texas girls are playing at over 220 schools, up from about 600 players the year before. The Texans Foundation expects close to 270 schools and nearly 6,000 athletes next season. At the Cowboys’ college showcase, 31 of 150 girls walked away with college offers.
The college side is moving too. Texas Wesleyan became the first university in Texas to field a varsity team, starting in spring 2026. Dallas College is launching six junior college teams, with their first season kicking off February 19, 2027.
What this means for your daughter
Here’s the part nobody tells parents. More players means more opportunity, but it also means more competition for every roster spot and every scholarship.
College coaches can’t be everywhere. They need a way to find the right athletes, with verified numbers and real film. That’s exactly why we started Flag Football Recruiting. At our Katy combine this past July, 81 athletes came out to test, compete and get seen. Our network now includes more than 100 college programs.
The growth is real. The window is open. The girls who get seen early are the ones who get recruited.
Next up: our Dallas-area Combine & Showcase on Saturday, December 19, 2026, at Southlake Carroll’s indoor facility. Register here.
Scott Gonzalez
Founder | President
Flag Football Recruiting
@CoachSGZ
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