Oftentimes when people think of flag football they are taken back to their elementary or middle school gym classes. Filled with excitement, you strap on a belt with waxy, colorful flags that you hope to keep on for the entire game or maybe you remember getting dressed up in pink and having your face painted for a powder puff game.
However, flag football has evolved far beyond these memories. It is now a high school sport that requires as much dedication, precision, and training as any other. Women’s flag football has swept the nation and is now an officially sanctioned sport in 14 states. Along with this, there are also 18 states that have pilot programs or are working to get the sport officially recognized, including Oregon.
On Oct. 7, 2024, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) voted and unanimously approved women’s flag football as an emerging activity for the 2025 spring season. This approval was incredibly impactful not only for students interested in joining a team, but also for Rebecca Brisson, who played an important role in establishing the sport in Oregon.
In order to get it established as an emerging sport, Brisson worked alongside Kelly Foster, the OSAA contact for flag football, to create a rule book as well as find officials. Once this was done it could be introduced to high schools. Brisson explains that the start-up cost was relatively low, with schools only needing to buy balls, flags, and cones. The difficulty laid in finding coaches and practice spaces or times that would not interfere with other spring sports. However, despite these challenges, in its first year eight schools in the OSAA had established a team. The following year there were 27, and this year, there are around 48 schools offering women’s flag football.
Brisson shares, “we’re kind of a unique sport, whereas sports like girls wrestling, they’ve had programs and they’ve [already] had [set-up] leagues in structure and organizations.” There are very few youth or recreational programs for women’s flag football, which leaves many girls alongside boys youth football programs instead.
Brisson herself coaches the flag football team at Liberty High School and shares her love for the sport and her appreciation for the wonderful community response she’s experienced. “Football is, in my opinion, the best sport out there. … [Bringing] it out to more people, especially women and girls who haven’t had the opportunity to play what has been traditionally a male sport, has just been so rewarding.”
Liberty senior quarterback Maddy Miramontes stresses how fun the team environment is and explains the personal connection she has to the sport. “Growing up I was always watching football games with my dad and I’ve always wanted to play,” says Miramontes. However, she felt it was never possible until it was introduced at Liberty this year. As a senior this will be her first and only season, nevertheless she shares, “It means a lot being able to finally play, even if it is for a short amount of time.” Miramontes explains that she was not expecting many people to come to their first game, but she was very excited when she saw a lot of families and students in the stands cheering. She says, “to see so many people come out and support girls flag football is amazing.”
High school athletics are not the only places where flag football has become increasingly popular. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), “At least 65 NCAA schools are sponsoring women’s flag football at either the club or varsity levels this year, with more slated to join in 2026.” The NFL has also helped create awareness by helping fund local teams as well as creating “NFL Flag.” This is a youth flag football program that has garnered over 750,000 athletes across 1,800 leagues in all 50 states. With so much attention at the youth, high school, and college levels, the sport is now also being added to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Organizations like the NFL, USA Football, and NCAA have numerous resources available to anyone interested in learning more about or participating in a flag football team.
As flag football continues to take the nation by storm, there are many things people can do to get involved. Brisson advises that any school interested in establishing a team should reach out to herself or Kelly Foster at OSAA. She hopes to see many more high schools in Oregon get involved in flag football in the upcoming years as it has brought such a positive impact to her community. Miramontes urges people who are interested in playing to just do it, as she says it has been very rewarding and “turned into something I look forward to at the end of each day.”
