MSHSAA to recognize girls flag football, unified track and field as emerging sports following annual ballot results

NFL Flag pilot state clears way for girls flag football to emerge: 10 amendments pass, including unified track and field and MSHSAA suspension rulings

Nixa has a girls flag football team that competed last weekend at Paragon Star Sports Complex in Lee's Summit. / Dustin Baldwin

Young women on Thursday across the state of Missouri got some great news. Pretty soon, more of them might have the chance to play high school flag football.

As part of 10 proposals posed to Missouri High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) member schools across the state, all 10 passed by significant margins. Two of the biggest highlights surrounded Proposals 8 and 9.

Proposal 8 was a suggestion to amend MSHSAA By-Law 5.2.6 “to designate Girls Flag Football as a MSHSAA emerging sport,” per the MSHSAA questionnaire. That question passed with a resounding 73.8% (271 votes) in the affirmative. In the 2025 poll there were 96 voters against the addition of girls flag football as an emerging sport (26.2%).

If enough high schools adopt girls flag football programs across the state, the sport will then become a sanctioned sport by MSHSAA.

There were also 66 votes (18 percent) against Proposal 9, which would “designate Unified Track & Field as a MSHSAA emerging sport.” That was also a significant minority, as 301 voted yes (82.0), easily passing the measure.

“The board will officially certify these results at its upcoming meeting in June,” MSHSAA said in a release. “Once certified, the results will take effect on July 1, 2025. However, Proposals 8 and 9 will become effective immediately for registration purposes.”

Missouri is part of NFL Flag’s pilot program, which was adopted by several states to run “flag football pilot test seasons in select schools to evaluate full adoption as a sanctioned sport,” per NFLFlag.com.

There are currently 15 states across the US that have adopted girls flag football as a sanctioned high school sport: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.

Some 50,000 girls are estimated to have participated in sanctioned girls high school flag football last season with more than 500,000 girls estimated nationwide participating in organized flag football, per NFL Flag.

It’s a sport that has been quickly growing in popularity in recent years. And there’s now a potential for women to play the sport at the next level, as several colleges have now adopted women’s flag football programs. Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri is one such college to offer women’s flag football.

On Nov. 19, 2024, North Central Missouri College in Trenton, with help from NFL Flag and others, became the first junior college in Missouri to offer women’s flag football, and it is sanctioned by the NJCAA. That team is expected to begin play in the Fall of 2025.

"We are honored to be part of this exciting era for women's athletics and hope to establish a lasting foundation for women's flag football in northern Missouri," NCMC President, Dr. Lenny Klaver said in a release announcing the move. "This will add to our array of current sports and be another opportunity for our athletic department to bring in athletes that further enhance our campus community. 

“Our vision is to create a pillar of support for this sport and inspire future athletes across the region to pursue their passion for flag football in an environment that promotes both athletic and academic success."

Back in February, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics issued a recommendation for flag football to be sponsored by all three NCAA Divisions, per a report by Just Women's Sports. To clear the final hurdles toward becoming an NCAA championship event, the sport would have 10 years to gain 40 school-sponsored varsity teams across the NCAA.

The way the sport has been growing, especially among young women, that seems attainable. Like girls flag football, boys volleyball became an emerging sport in the state in recent years, then became officially sanctioned by MSHSAA for the 2023-2024 school year.

Below is the full list of proposals, a description of each in MSHSAA’s words, and the voting results.

“This ballot represents our ongoing commitment to governance and the advancement of interscholastic activities across Missouri,” MSHSAA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad said in a release. “Each proposed amendment to the MSHSAA Constitution and By-Laws has been carefully developed through our advisory committee process or brought forward by our board of directors to ensure our policies remain responsive, relevant and reflective of our member schools’ needs.”

MSHSAA 2025 Annual Ballot results

Proposal 1 – Addition of Non-Public Schools accreditation body

“Amendment to Article III, Section 1.d to include the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) as an accreditation body of non-public schools.”

Yes: 253 votes (68.9 percent)

No: 114 (31.1)

---

Proposal 2 – Sanctioning requirements and penalties

“Addition of By-Laws 1.1.5 and 1.1.6 regarding tournament, meet, multiple contest competitive/evaluative event sanction regulations and related penalties.”

Yes: 332 (90.5)

No: 35 (9.5)

---

Proposal 3 – Junior high cooperative sponsorships

“Amendment to By-Law 1.4.2.f allowing voided cooperative agreements to sponsor their own teams if no combined practices have occurred (Voted by only combined schools and junior highs).”

Yes: 200 (97.2)

No: 6 (2.8)

---

Proposal 4 – Freshmen-only team age restrictions

“Amendment to By-Law 3.5.1 to remove age restrictions for freshmen-only teams. (Voted by only high schools and combined schools).”

Yes: 267 (78.3)

No: 74 (21.7)

---

Proposal 5 – Junior high age restriction

“Amendment to By-Law 3.5.2 to prohibit 4th and 5th graders from competing against 6th grade and above, with exceptions for overage students. (Voted by only combined schools and junior highs).”

Yes: 184 (85.6)

No: 31 (14.4)

---

Proposal 6 – Girls soccer and fall non-school competition exception

“Amendment to By-Law 3.13.2 to adjust the Fall Non-School Competition Exception and add one for girls soccer. (Voted by only schools participating in specified fall sports).”

Yes: 284 (83.8)

No: 55 (16.2)

---

Proposal 7 – Individual wrestler limits – high school

“Amendment to By-Law 3.26.2 to increase the seasonal match limit for high school wrestlers from 45 to 50. (Voted by only high schools and combined schools with wrestling).”

Yes: 134 (85.9)

No: 22 (14.1)

---

Proposal 8 – Addition of girls flag football as an emerging sport

“Amendment to By-Law 5.2.6 to designate Girls Flag Football as a MSHSAA emerging sport.”

Yes: 271 (73.8)

No: 96 (26.2)

---

Proposal 9 - Addition of unified track and field as an emerging sport

“Amendment to By-Law 5.2.6 to designate Unified Track & Field as a MSHSAA emerging sport.”

Yes: 301 (82.0)

No: 66 (18.0)

---

Proposal 10 - Review by MSHSAA office for specific ejections

“Amendment to By-Law 5.5.1 to allow appeals for specific ejection scenarios such as kicks, strikes, fights or substitutes leaving the bench during altercations.”

Yes: 324 (88.3)

No: 43 (11.7)

---

More stories from High School on SI Missouri:

feed