Ask your Athletic Director. The first step is to find out if your school already has a flag football team. If you’re not sure, ask your school’s Athletic Director, Principal, or other staff member.

Join an NFL FLAG team. Find an NFL FLAG league in your area and sign up for a team here. Many NFL FLAG leagues offer girls high school divisions, so you can have a similar experience to playing on a high school team.

Ask your Athletic Director. First, approach your high school Athletic Director or Principal (or other staff member) to express interest. 

Gather resources. Your Athletic Director will let you know the right next steps, which usually include:

• Finding a head coach
• Forming a team (10-15 athletes per team)
• Funding for uniforms and equipment
• Determining which rules you would like to use. States with official varsity programs (sanctioned states) have standard rules that are used across the state. If you are in a piloting state, we recommend you adopt the rules used by your local pilot league. In addition, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) will release the first national rulebook later this year.

Connect with your local NFL Club. Your local NFL Club typically has a Community Relations Director who can offer support and resources to help start your high school girls team. We highly recommend reaching out!

Support the joint efforts of your students and Athletic Director.

Gauge Interest. Survey other students to see if they’d be interested in playing flag football. Host an informational meeting for interested students and parents to gauge interest.

Secure Funding. Ask the school for help in applying for grants or other funding sources.

• Look into sponsorships from local businesses.
• Organize a fundraiser to cover the costs.

Volunteer. Volunteer to be a coach or official! These roles are critical to putting together a successful flag season.

Opportunity. Flag football is the most inclusive and affordable way to play football. Flag football provides another opportunity for girls in high school to participate in sports and experience all of the benefits. Data collected by the NFHS shows that adding a flag football team increases overall sports participation: approximately 50 percent of girls who join their flag football team are playing a high school sport for the first time.

Values. Football helps build important values including character, leadership, resilience, and teamwork. These values, and the skills learned through playing the game, can be applied to other sports, academics, and life.

College / Scholarships. Women's flag football will be offered in nearly 60 colleges and universities across the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA this spring. Playing in high school gives girls the foundation to play in college, qualify for scholarships, and receive a college education for free or at a reduced rate.