| LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN NSAA RULES AND REGULATIONS | ||||
| Title: | 3 Year Emerging Sport for Girls Flag Football | |||
| Author: | Steve Throne | |||
| School: | Millard South | |||
| NSAA District: | 2 | |||
| Proposal for: | Activities Manual | |||
| Classes Affected: | All | |||
| Activities Affected: | Football | |||
| This proposal: | WILL increase costs to the school WILL increase costs to the NSAA WILL increase travel for participating schools WILL decrease a student's or coach's instruction time | |||
| Implementation date: | 2027-08-01 | |||
| Sections affected in Activities Manual: | Page 44-45 | Article 2 | Section 2.14.1 | |
| Summary: | Girls’ Flag Football shall be added as an emerging sport beginning with the 2027-2028 NSAA school year, under the same emerging sports framework the NSAA Board of Directors applied to girls’ wrestling in 2020: a three-year emerging period, optional school adoption, and Board authority to fully sanction at any point if participation warrants.
The inaugural season would be conducted in Spring 2028, aligning with the collegiate woman’s flag football season in Nebraska: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hasting College, Midland University, College of Saint Mary and Central Community College.
Girls’ flag football is experiencing significate growth at the youth, high schools, college, national and international levels. Nebraska girls are already participating in organized flag football outside of the NSAA-sanctioned structure, demonstrating an existing interest in and demand for the sport. Establishing girls’ flag football as an emerging sport would provide Nebraska schools with a structured pathway to develop school-based participation, collect statewide participation data, and evaluate the sport’s potential for future sanctioning.
The emerging sport framework has already provided Nebraska with a successful pathway for developing girls’ athletic opportunities. Girls’ wrestling was designated as an emerging sport by the NSAA Board of Directors in 2020 by a unanimous vote and demonstrated statewide support and success. Girls’ flag football would follow the same measured approach: voluntary participation by member schools, collection of Nebraska-specific participation data, and Board authority to consider full sanction if participation warrants. The proposal also supports and advances equal athletic opportunity consistent with Title IX. Girls’ flag football provides schools with an additional avenue to expand athletic participation opportunities for female student athletes. Girls’ flag football also creates a pathway beyond high school. Collegiate opportunities continue to expand, providing female student-athletes additional ways to continue their education. Flag Football also makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angles, further demonstrating the sport’s continued development at the national and international level. | |||
| Rationale: | Girls flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. NFL flag reports 2026:
102,360 girls played flag football in 2025-26 3,990 high schools offered girls’ flag football Top 10 high school sport by participation 48.7% one-year participation growth +551% growth of participation since 2021-2022, 15,716 to 102,360 NCAA officially added women’s flag football as an Emerging Sport January 2026 USA Woman’s Flag Football Team will make its Olympic Debut 2028 3 Local Girls Flag Football Teams all qualified for NFL Flag nationals and all finished top 25 in the nation or better The National Federation of State High School Associations reports 37 states are expected to sanction girls’ flag football operate a pilot/emerging-sport program during the 2026-27 school year. 24 states plus Washington D.C have approved girls flag football as a varsity sport: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington. 13 states have pilot or independent/emerging sports program: Delaware, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin | |||
| Pros: | Optional participation during emerging-sport period gives individual member schools local control over weather to establish a program
Instead of projections, a three-year evaluation period allows future decisions based on actual Nebraska data. Expand athletic opportunities for female student-athletes by offering and additional team sport that may attract new participation Create school-based pathways for Nebraska athletes who are already participating in youth, club and independent girls’ flag programs Connects Nebraska high school athletes with expanding collegiate opportunities Existing fields and multipurpose facilities can be utilized for practice and games Zero cost to those schools that do not opt in Flexible formats 5v5 or 7v7, depending on location, participation and space Up to four schools can participate as one unified team | |||
| Cons: | Adopting schools will incur startup costs (equipment, coaching stipends, transportation, officials,
Available space for practice and games competing against current spring sports Scheduling and faculty conflicts due to other sports usage Initial participation may vary geographically during the early years of the emerging sport period. Existing spring sports participation numbers may be affected | |||