COLUMBUS — Flag football has been growing at an exponential rate in Ohio, including in Clermont County, and the state’s athletic association is taking advantage of that.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association has elevated girls flag football to a fully recognized sport for the 2026-27 school year, following a unanimous vote of the OHSAA Board of Directors at its June meeting, the association announced in a press release June 24.
Girls flag football is now OHSAA’s 29th recognized sport, and Ohio is the 23rd state association nationally to sanction it. Forty states offer girls high school football programs, and the sport debuts in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“The OHSAA is so proud to welcome girls flag football to our family,” OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said. “Flag football has grown so rapidly and will continue to do so. The Browns, Bengals and NFL put in so much work to promote the game and bring us to this moment to welcome girls flag football to the OHSAA.”
The OHSAA’s recognition follows several years of meetings with state flag football leaders. Growth accelerated in 2021 with the creation of the first Girls High School Flag Football division in Northeast Ohio.
Spring 2024 marked the pilot girls high school flag football season in Cincinnati, featuring a championship tournament with six local schools. Participation surged to 41 schools in Southwest Ohio, up from 20 the previous year. Ohio formally supported the sport as a varsity offering last summer.
This past spring, there were 162 high school girls flag football teams in Ohio, according to the OHSAA’s press release. In May, the OHSAA partnered with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to conduct a high school state tournament event, which was won by Macedonia Nordonia in a 20-19 victory over Mount Notre Dame.
“The Bengals are proud to support girls flag football and celebrate this historic milestone, which will help pave the way for the sport’s continued growth and success,” Bengals Vice President Elizabeth Blackburn said in the release. “Full sanctioning is a testament to the dedication of many advocates who helped make it possible, including the Ohio High School Athletic Association, athletic directors, players, coaches and referees. The rapid expansion of flag football across Ohio reflects the passion, talent and commitment young women have for the game. We are excited to see the opportunities this creates for future generations of athletes.”
The sport has even reached Clermont County, when New Richmond created a team this past spring for its inaugural season.
“Last year was the first year at Shroder, and it was actually the first year for a lot of the schools in Cincinnati,” said New Richmond Athletics Director Trey Newberry in a previous story published in The Clermont Sun. “But when I tell you the zeitgeist that goes around this sport, it’s just different, and it’s fun to watch.”
Games start in late March, and schools must play at least 10 games to qualify for championships. The Bengals host the Regional Championship, while the State Championship, in partnership with the Browns and OHSAA, is at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Flag football does not allow physical contact, making it a safer alternative compared to traditional football, which is a co-ed sport in Ohio. Players wear belts with flags attached. To stop a ball carrier, a defender must remove one or both of the flags. This makes the game fast-paced and engaging, focusing on skill instead of tackling.
All forward passes must be completed beyond the line of scrimmage. Behind the line of scrimmage, teams can use direct handoffs or unlimited backward pitches and passes.
After the snap, the quarterback has seven seconds to throw and cannot cross the line of scrimmage. If a backward handoff, pass or lateral is made, the time limit ends, and the offense can throw a forward pass at any time. Up to two defenders can rush the quarterback. They must raise a hand before the snap and start from the 7-yard line.
If the offense commits a penalty, they lose down and yardage. Defensive penalties result in an automatic first down and, in some cases, yards awarded. Teams play two 15-minute halves. The first half has a running clock except for timeouts and out-of-bounds plays. Games typically last about an hour.
Dates for the 2027 season and tournament will be determined in the future. The Bengals and Browns will continue to be heavily involved with girls flag football in Ohio, the press release states.
“The recognition of girls flag football as an official varsity sport in Ohio is a tremendous milestone for student-athletes across the state,” said Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. “At the Cleveland Browns, we believe in creating more opportunities for young athletes to learn, compete and grow through the game of football and this decision marks just the beginning of that journey for many young women across Ohio. We’re proud to support the continued growth of girls flag football and look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on schools, communities and the next generation of players.”
For more information on the Cincinnati Bengals work in the Girls High School Flag Football space, visit: https://www.bengals.com/community/girls-flag-football.