This fall, Girls Flag Football was introduced as a club to Stone Bridge after a spike in interest around Loudoun County. Following the interest around the sport, the club will debut as an official varsity team during the 2026-2027 school year.
Since Florida sanctioned girls flag football at the high school level in 2003, nine other states have joined the trend, and 17 other states are piloting programs this year. Girls flag football is majorly responsible for the significant rise of participation in high school sports in America, with 68,847 girls participating in the 2024-2025 season.
“Girls getting into sports is a great opportunity for everyone,” team Captain Johanna Alston said. “It offers opportunities for all girls, younger girls especially, even in middle school. It gives them an opportunity for them to [play] in a higher level [such as collegiate sports.]”
Over 35 colleges have added Division I flag football to their athletic programs for the 2025-2026 season, with many more universities having club teams. With the growth of the sport, more and more young girls across America gain the ability to play a sport in college.
“There is a lot of opportunity at the collegiate level, [similarly to] rowing,” ELA teacher and flag football head coach Brittany Griffin said. “I think once girls become aware of that, they might kind of gear towards that.”
A multi-sport athlete herself, Ms. Griffin has a diverse range of experience having participated in gymnastics, cheerleading, lacrosse, track, and collegiate rugby. Her diverse background largely informed her decision to coach as a majority of the flag football team this season had no experience playing the sport before the program launched.
“Not only were we new to coaching, but so many of our girls were multi-sport athletes and new to football in general,” Ms Griffin said. “My goal was to create an atmosphere of trust. I wanted the girls to trust each other and to learn from each other.”
Assistant coach Anna Turner joined Ms. Griffin this season for the founding of the flag football team. Ms. Turner’s goals for the team were very clear: establish a fun and trusting playing environment.
“Because this is a brand new program, I wanted to educate, so I wanted to make sure that everybody understood the basic concepts of football,” Ms. Turner said.
While the team is coached by Ms. Griffin and Ms. Turner, Alston exemplified student leadership as the team captain. Being an experienced player, having played football for over 4 years, Alston contributed heavily to the founding of the team.
“[This team] has a really great future,” Alston said. “If people are consistent with it, it will really go far.”
The introduction of flag football has brought hope to many girls wishing to contribute in sports, whether or not they have previous experience in the sport.
“I think it’s going to be so cool for all of the younger girls to be able to have the experience that we had,” senior Isabella Jones said. “I think [the team] is just going to keep growing, and with it becoming a varsity sport, it will just grow more and more.”
Since the establishment of Title IX, women and girls across the country have fought for the ability to play a sport equal to their male peers. The increase in participation of flag football across the country shows a huge step forward in women’s sports and brings hope to young girls seeking opportunities to play higher-level football.
“[This season was] groundbreaking,” Ms Turner said. “I think these girls are setting the road to success for not only the high school level, but also for that collegiate level. I encourage anybody to try out. It’s okay to not be successful at first, right? Success doesn’t come in one try. Success is something that comes with lots of effort, hard work, and teamwork.”
