LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN NSAA RULES AND REGULATIONS
Title:

3 Year Emerging Sport for Girls Flag Football and Boys Volleyball

Author:Jeff Squier
School:South Sioux City
NSAA District:3
 
Proposal for:Activities Manual
 
Classes Affected:All
Activities Affected:None
This proposal:WILL increase costs to the school
WILL increase costs to the NSAA
WILL increase travel for participating schools
WILL NOT 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:Boys' Volleyball and Girls' Flag Football shall be added as emerging sports beginning with the 2027-28 NSAA calendar year, under the same emerging sport framework the NSAA Board of Directors applied to girls' wrestling in 2020: a three-year emerging period, no NSAA postseason during that period, optional school adoption, and Board authority to fully sanction at any point if participation warrants.The final season window would be set by the NSAA Board of Directors. The author presents windows for the seasons to occur: Girls Flag Football: Fall Window (1st season Fall 2027) - aligns with the national calendar and the existing club season. Boys Volleyball: Spring Window (1st season Spring 2028) - aligns with the national calendar and the existing club season.
Rationale:Boys Volleyball Growth:
Boys volleyball is currently the fastest growing male high school sport in the nation and has remained that way for the last 10 years. For the 2025-26 academic year, the NFHS reports 98,395 total boys volleyball players participated in high school volleyball. This amount is up 10,717 from last year for a 12.57% growth. In terms of participation percentage, no other boys sport has grown as much as boys volleyball in the last decade: Boys Volleyball - 77.55%, Track (Indoor) - 20.82%, Lacrosse - 19.83%, Wrestling - 17.8%.

The Great Plains Boys Volleyball League in Nebraska has begun efforts to increase high school boys volleyball participation in the state starting in 2025. In just one year, they increased participation by 140% and expanding from Omaha and Lincoln metro areas to smaller schools in central Nebraska, making the sport more accessible statewide. The organization is working with First Point Volleyball, organization under USA Volleyball, to sanction every state by 2033. So far, 30 states have sanctioned the sport including neighboring Midwest states: Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kansas is very close to becoming the 31st state. Here is a link from the 2026 State Championships Great Plains put on in Bellevue. You can see all Nebraska high school boys volleyball news headlines here.

Girls Flag Football Growth:
Girls high school flag football is now the fastest-growing girls high school sport in the country, according to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations. More than 102,000 girls play high school flag football across 40 states, with 24 states having sanctioned it as a varsity sport, including seven this year. The pathway beyond high school is growing just as quickly. More than 250 colleges and universities across the country now offer women’s flag football programs across the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA. The NCAA added flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program earlier this year and intends to vote to establish a national collegiate championship as early as spring 2028. Notably, the University of Nebraska’s recent launch of the first Power Four Division I varsity women’s flag football program positions the state as a national trailblazer and lays the groundwork for Nebraska to become a leading destination for girls and women in the sport. Today, flag football provides a complete athletic journey with a clear, uninterrupted pathway extending from high school to college, professional, and the global stage at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Similarly to boys volleyball, neighboring Midwest states have already sanctioned girls flag football, including Kansas who became the 18th state to sanction in April 2026. By that fall, they had 48 programs competing, a 65% increase since sanctioning. Missouri added girls flag as an emerging sport in May 2025 with a 73.8% yes vote. They are voting on sanctioning status in April 2027.

Cost Support:
Boys Volleyball:
• Great Plains Boys Volleyball League has been funding all officials through their League for the past 2 years, so this would eliminate boys volleyball officials costs for schools.
• Great Plains Boys Volleyball League has been operating and funding a State Championship event. Would not be additional cost for NSAA as an emerging activity.
• Great Plains Region handles all management of the League and compensates its staff members.
• The Great Plains Region and First Point Volleyball would welcome further conversation on ways to collaborate with NSAA.

Girls Flag Football:
• The Chiefs have $75k available to support school districts for them to determine the allocation to schools. The NFL may have additional funding available if there appears to be significant interest in launching programs.
• Additionally, they would work with their partners including Nike and USA Football to provide schools with uniform and equipment grants.
• Both the Chiefs and the NFL are here to support the NSAA and would welcome a conversation with them on ways to collaborate.
Pros:Zero cost and zero obligation for schools that do not opt in; full local control for schools that do.
• Already a League structure and management in place for boys’ volleyball funded by Great Plains Region of USA Volleyball.
• Funding for girls flag football provided by NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs. See more details in next section.
• Be a part of the growth of two of the most popular emerging sports nationwide.
• Three-year evaluation window ensures any future sanctioning decision is made on real Nebraska participation data, not projections.
• Follows the successful girls' wrestling emerging-sport model, a proven NSAA pathway.
• Adds boys' and girls' opportunities together, strengthening gender equity in Nebraska activities.
• Proposing emerging sports are self travel – No travel costs needed from school administration.
• Brings existing club players, coaches, and officials into the school-based, education-centered activity model the NSAA exists to provide and opens more opportunities to compete for those who cannot afford travel club programs.
Cons:Adopting schools will incur startup costs (equipment, coaching stipends, transportation, officials).
• Facility availability with season overlap.
• Overlap with seasons and risk of meeting minimum requirement to start a team.
• Compressed season means fewer total contests than a full-length season.
• Need for more officials.