CHSAA Board of Directors Supports Sanctioning Girls Flag Football

AURORA – The Colorado High School Activities Association’s Board of Directors met Monday at the CHSAA offices for its April meeting.

Following an approval of minutes and a finance and legal update, the Board heard a presentation on girls flag football. It was stated that 10 states currently sanction girls flag football and there are 33 others that are offering it as a pilot program (as of Fall 2023), supporting the notion that it’s a fast-growing sport throughout the country. Throughout the two years of Colorado having a pilot program, 50 schools across 10 districts offered a girls flag football program and there was a 161 percent growth in female participation from Year 1 to Year 2.

Among the 1,316 participants, almost 75 percent had never played flag football before joining their high school team and more than half stated that they otherwise would have not participated in another fall sport.

Officiating also grew from Year 1 to Year 2, with 18 officials working both pilot seasons and 44 officials gaining high school flag football experience for the first time in 2023. All participating officials had previous youth and/or high school officiating experience in a variety of sports (baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tackle football and/or flag football) and 72 percent stated they have no other fall officiating commitments.

This same information was presented to the Budget & Property Administration, Classification and League Organizing (CLOC), Equity and Sports Medicine Advisory (SMAC) committees, and all four committees unanimously voted this spring to support girls flag football. After hearing the presentation, the Board of Directors did vote to support a recommendation that girls flag football move forward. The Legislative Council will now have the final vote on whether to sanction girls flag football in Colorado. That vote will take place tomorrow during the April Legislative Council meeting.

“Colorado is a national leader in terms of girls’ participation in sports and activities,” CHSAA Board of Directors and Principal at Englewood High School Ryan West said. “This vote in favor of sanctioning girls flag football only furthers the Board’s commitment to equitable participation on behalf of our female athletes in Colorado.”

The Board also voted to reinstate Victory Preparatory Academy as a full CHSAA member and then concluded the meeting by discussing the Bylaw proposals and committee reports that will be presented at tomorrow’s Legislative Council meeting.