TOPEKA — Girls flag football could be the latest sport sanctioned by KSHSAA. The fast-growing sport is making waves at the college level and it will even be in the next Summer Olympic Games.
Here’s everything on girls flag football in Kansas.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association will be holding its Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, April 23. One of the items to be discussed is the sanctioning of girls flag football.
“When it comes to any potential new activity, the Activities Association is open to what our schools want to do,” KSHSAA’s Assistant Executive Director Jeremy Holaday said. “This seems to be the next activity that they are curious about and we will certainly find out Thursday if that’s something that we will have to start planning for.”
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For the agenda item to pass, it needs a simple majority at the board of directors meeting. If it is to pass, at least 24 schools must compete for KSHSAA to host championship activities.
The minimum school requirement should not be an issue, with at least 29 teams playing in last year's club season in Kansas.
Girls flag football has been playing as a club sport since 2021. The popularity of the sport has grown so much that Wichita Public Schools Athletic Director Chris Asmussen is hoping for KSHSAA to sanction the sport.
“Legitimization,” he said. "We see that there's a definite need for this, not just in our area, but in our state.”
Asmussen represents the Greater Wichita Athletic League for the KSHSAA Board of Directors. He submitted the agenda item to officially sanction girls flag football. He’s seen the explosion of the sport firsthand in Wichita.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been an instrumental part of the sport’s success, too. They have helped fund the club league with jerseys, equipment and officials.
“The Chiefs put in some more money for it so that we could make our own league to play in the regular season,” Asmussen said.
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Last fall, there was a Wichita League featuring the city public schools along with Maize and Maize South. There was another league in the Kansas City metro featuring schools in surrounding areas, including Lawrence Free State.
Free State reached the semifinals of the state tournament, a 16-team bracket that saw Mill Valley win the championship. Head coach Adam Barmann explained that the entire season was a joy and it wasn't hard to convince players to join the team.
This is because flag football allows success for a variety of athletes. Just like in tackle football, offensive linemen, wide receivers and punters are not the same type of athlete. It’s extremely similar in flag football.
“It's provided opportunities for these girls who otherwise probably wouldn't play anything,” Barmann said. "And what we know about the game of football is there's really a spot for everybody. When you look at a football roster, it's comprised of all different kinds of skill sets, and there's really a spot for almost everybody.”
Free State’s roster featured 30 players. As the season went along, interest started to gather in the halls of the school. More and more athletes are going to join Barmann’s roster next year, he said.
“We are planning on having upwards of 50 kids,” he said. “We will have a varsity and a junior varsity.”
Just like tackle football, girls flag football is a no-cut sport. It’s another avenue for young athletes to be involved in an extracurricular activity.