Girls flag football is fastest-growing high school sport

Data: NFHS ; Map: Brad Jennings/Axios Girls flag football has become the fastest-growing high school sport, as tens of thousands take up a game that barely had a varsity footprint a few years ago.

Why it matters: Few girls high school sports have moved from niche to mainstream so quickly, broadening athletic opportunities in the process.

By the numbers: More than 102,000 girls played high school flag football in 2025-26, a 551% increase in the past four years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations .

Catch up quick: In 2024, just 12 states sanctioned high school girls flag football, viewed as a safer, more accessible version of America's most popular spectator sport.

Today, 23 states plus Washington, D.C., sanction it as an official varsity sport , and 3,990 schools reported participants in 2025-26.

The NFL is backing its growth, too.

It has invested millions to launch and expand high school programs , and featured the sport in its Super Bowl commercials .

Beyond high schools, flag football will debut at the 2028 Olympics, and at least 40 NCAA schools already offer it as a collegiate varsity sport.

Reality check: It's not yet clear whether flag football is mostly creating new high school athletes or pulling girls from established sports.

A recent Newsday analysis on Long Island found flag participation rising sharply while girls lacrosse, softball and track participation fell.

What we're watching: Girls varsity wrestling is undergoing its own boom.

All 50 states now report girls wrestling participation, and 40 state athletic associations hold girls wrestling championships, up from just five about a decade ago.