NJSIAA Approves Girls Flag Football as 35th Varsity Sport in New Jersey

While the passing of a vote to institute a shot clock for boys and girls basketball grabbed the most attention, another significant decision came out of Monday’s New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) full membership meeting on Monday at the Pines Manor in Edison.

Flag Football Officially Arrives

After four years as a pilot program, girls flag football is now officially a varsity sport in New Jersey.

The measure passed by a 311-18 vote and will take effect in the 2026-27 school year, becoming the NJSIAA’s 35th sanctioned sport. It also gives girls a fifth varsity option in the spring — joining golf, lacrosse, softball and track and field.

Why Spring Was the Right Fit

“I keep reminding schools, in our spring season, we only have four sports for girls,” NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire said in a statement released on Monday. “So if we were going to add a sport it needed to go into the spring.”

NFL Support Drives Growth

Local RFL franchises have been the driving force behind the sport’s rapid rise. The New York Jets kicked things off in 2021 by launching New Jersey’s first high school flag football league. What started small has grown to 173 schools and more than 4,200 participants this spring. The Jets also built Jets Flag Elite, their club travel program, where two 14U standouts, Kaitlyn Richards and Myla Ramos, recently earned spots on USA Football’s 15U U.S. Girls’ National Team. Ramos and Richards now represent the best of what New Jersey is producing.

Down in South Jersey, the Philadelphia Eagles have poured resources into the game since 2023 through their own league and by distributing USA Football Flag Kits to 30 schools. The Giants have added support as well. That kind of backing from the pros has helped turn flag football from a niche activity into a statewide movement.

The growth mirrors what’s happening nationally. USA Football reports that participation among girls ages 6-12 jumped 283 percent between 2015 and 2024. At the high school level, more than 68,800 girls played across the country last year, a 60 percent increase in a single year. New Jersey is now the third state this spring, along with Kansas and Maryland, to fully sanction the sport. More than one-third of the states now offer girls flag football at the varsity level.

Addressing the Concerns

Not everyone was on board at first. Administrators at smaller schools worried about how flag football might pull athletes away from existing spring programs. Maguire understood those fears but believes it was time to act.

“We knew there could be unintended consequences,” Maguire said. “We’ll find out a year or two from now, but in some of those spring sports, we’ve already been seeing a slow attrition in participation. I think it’s important we recognize the growth and enthusiasm for the sport and give it its due.”

This Year’s Transition

This spring is the last time athletes can play flag football and another spring sport simultaneously. Starting next year, they’ll have to choose, and schools must notify parents in writing. The sport also operated under unified NFHS rules for the first time this season, along with power points for playoff seeding.

Breaking Barriers

Beyond the numbers and logistics, Maguire believes the sport is delivering something more meaningful for the next generation.

“I just think it’s great,” she said. “It’s going to empower all these girls to, like, break some basic gender stereotypes around football. So I think they’re smart to put their money and resources behind it. And I think it’s exciting to see the girls here, really growing to love a sport and want to be a part of it.”

For thousands of New Jersey girls who have been waiting for this moment, the wait is finally over.

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