Arizona to debut high school girls flag football in fall 2023

PHOENIX — Arizona will join a growing list of states that will debut girls flag football at the high school level next fall.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association’s executive board voted earlier this month to make it a sanctioned sport beginning in fall 2023.

A handful of states, including neighboring Colorado and California, have also announced plans for girls flag football.

“This is really big,” David Hines, AIA’s executive director, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday. “It gives our girls and females another opportunity to participate in another sport.”

The push to get the sport to the high school level began about a decade ago and has been amplified in the past year, according to Hines.

A group met for about six months to develop a rulebook and hammer out the details of a season ahead of this month’s decision.

There will be a three-week preseason before an eight-week regular season, Hines said.

Teams will play up to 14 regular season games — two per week at times — before a state championship tournament.

“These kids are really competitive,” Hines said. “This isn’t the old powder-puff and let’s have a good time.

“These kids are very talented, they come from multiple sports and are very skilled. It’ll be a lot of fun to watch.”

Hines expects about 30 to 40 teams to participate in the inaugural season.

“We’re hoping that it will grow really fast,” Hines said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Griselda Zetino contributed to this report.

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