This is a big weekend for girls flag football in Texas! The UIL Legislative Council meets Sunday and Monday, Oct. 18-19, in Austin, and girls flag football is coming back up. The Houston Texans have been leading the charge with a simple message: Make Texas Next.
Girls in this state are already playing. They’re already competing for titles and earning college scholarships. Now they need the UIL to make it official.
Here’s what you need to know before the meeting, and how you can add your voice.
The Texans are ALL IN
The Texans aren’t just talking about it. Since 2023 they’ve built one of the biggest girls flag programs in the state, and getting the sport sanctioned has been the goal from day one. The Texans She’s Next Movement says it straight up: The time is now. The field is hers.
Hannah McNair, VP of the Houston Texans Foundation, stood in front of the UIL back in June and asked them to vote yes. She told the council “the time is now, the field is hers and let’s make Texas next.”
The growth backs her up. In the Houston area alone, the Texans’ program went from 18 teams three years ago to 152 teams this year.
Fans can get in on it too. The Texans have a petition and a fan support map where you can drop a pin for your school district and show the UIL the interest is real. (Fan Map) Head over to the Texans’ girls flag page to add your name.
If you’re on Instagram, follow @texansyouthfb for the latest on the Sanction Girls Flag push. Share their posts. Tag your school. Every share helps.
Texas has been knocking on this door for a while
This isn’t the first time girls flag has come up at the UIL. Here’s how it’s gone:
- October 2023: The UIL turned it down.
- October 2024: Turned down again by the athletics committee.
- June 2025: The tone changed. Instead of a no, the committee said it would keep an eye on the sport’s growth.
- October 2025: Still studying it.
- June 2026: The Cowboys and Texans pitched it for 6A and 5A schools. The council told UIL staff to build a plan for how it would work and to survey superintendents across the state. Both are due back this month.
In the meantime, the girls kept playing. The Cowboys and Texans leagues now cover more than 240 schools and almost 5,500 athletes, and their college showcases have brought in 58 colleges.
The Texans even raised $1.4 million to fully fund girls flag at all 25 Houston ISD high schools for three years.
What happens in Austin this weekend
The meeting is at the Westin Austin Domain. Here’s the schedule, all Central time.
- Sunday, 8 a.m.: Public forum. This is where supporters get the mic. Watch live here.
- Sunday, 9:30 a.m.: Athletics committee meets. This is the group that decides if girls flag moves on to the full council.
- Monday, 9 a.m.: Full council general session. Watch live here.
What we’re watching for: What did the superintendent survey say? What would the season actually look like? And do we get a real yes, or another “we’ll keep studying it”?
One thing that could slow it down. The UIL has a rule that lets the council hold off on new sports until June or October of odd-numbered years, so they line up with realignment. This is an even year. That’s exactly what happened in June to boys volleyball, ice hockey and lacrosse. All three got pushed to June 2027.
Even if it passes, the UIL already said it won’t happen this school year. 2027-28 is the earliest start.
Houston has a seat at the table. Five Houston-area superintendents sit on the council: Galena Park ISD, Barbers Hill ISD, Aldine ISD, La Porte ISD and Fort Bend ISD. Fort Bend ISD already plays in the Texans’ girls flag league.
Coach’s take
I’ve spent years helping Texas athletes get in front of college coaches. Girls flag is the next wave, and Texas girls are already proving they belong.
Look at the Cowboys’ college showcase. Out of 150 girls who took part, 31 walked away with a college offer. That’s real opportunity.
Now think about this. Ashlea Klam, who plays for the U.S. Women’s Flag National Team, earned a college flag football scholarship coming out of high school here in Texas. Her school wouldn’t let her take part in signing day.
That shouldn’t happen to the next class of athletes.
Sanctioning won’t fix everything overnight. Schools still need fields, coaches and gear. But it gives every school a reason to start a team, a real season and a shot at a state title. That’s what these girls deserve.
How you can help
- Add your name. Sign the Texans’ petition and drop a pin on their fan support map at the Texans’ girls flag page.
- Follow and share. Follow @texansyouthfb and share their Sanction Girls Flag posts with your team and your school.
- Talk to your school. Let your AD and superintendent know girls want to play. If you’re in Galena Park, Barbers Hill, Aldine, La Porte or Fort Bend ISD, your superintendent sits on the council that makes this call.
- Tune in. Watch the public forum Sunday at 8 a.m. and the general session Monday at 9 a.m.
We’ll have the results up as soon as the vote is in.
As always, if you have a story or an athlete I should know about, reach out to me on X or Instagram at @CoachSGZ.
Sanction Girls Flag. Make Texas Next!
#TXHSFB #SanctionGirlsFlag
Coach Scott Gonzalez
Founder & President
Flag Football Recruiting, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
FlagFBRecruiting.com