WIAA officially adds girls flag football

MOSES LAKE — The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association passed the amendment to add girls flag football as an official sport. The sport was officially sanctioned in April, and the resolution to hold the state championships in the spring season was passed at the WIAA executive board meeting June 8.

“Passing this year was awesome with the help and continued support of the Seattle Seahawks and all the people that helped get it off the ground,” said WIAA Marketing Coordinator Bryn Langrock, who leads the girls flag football advisory committee. “It’s been a long journey, but I think officially sanctioning this sport is going to make it take off even more than it has so far.”

The amendment to add the sport was first brought forward last year, where it failed, but was brought up again this year where it ultimately passed. Langrock said the drafters of the amendment made the effort this year to make it appealing to both sides of the state to participate.

One way they did this was by making the sport alternate seasons for schools that might have weather or field concerns. This would give the individual schools the option of playing either in fall or spring, she said.

“Hopefully, encourage schools to make the decision that was best for them and their athletes,” said Langrock.

Mick Hoffman, the WIAA’s executive director, said there are two ways a sport can be added to the WIAA's sports roster. The first is through trial sports: If 20% of schools offer a sport and they apply to make it a trial sport, they get two years to get 40% of the schools on board.

The other method is through the amendment process, where schools propose an activity and the activity assembly at the WIAA votes on whether to add the sport or not. For the proposal to pass it has to gain 60% of the vote.

“It passed this year by one vote and now schools have the option to offer it,” said Hoffman.

Girls flag football is the first officially sanctioned sport in the WIAA in 26 years. The last sport to be added was girls bowling in 1999, according to the WIAA website.

“(1999) actually happens to be the year I was born so I’m literally a manifestation of the amount of time it’s taken for the association to pass a new sport,” said Langrock. “That tells me we’re at a time where schools want to try something new.”

She said that a survey they ran from a couple of years ago found that the primary interest in joining flag football wasn’t from students who were already in sports, but from those who weren’t part of an existing sport.

“This opportunity to get more students participating in sports and activities is huge for our state,” said Langrock. “We know the value of activities and sports in growing our future leaders, so to be able to offer yet another opportunity for girls to get involved is just really great and something we’re really excited about.”

The WIAA is working with an advisory committee made up of local flag football leaders to come up with how the sport will operate fully in Washington. The association is working to get this finalized before the end of the year, she said.

There are schools throughout the state that have been running pilot programs for the sport and have confirmed that they will be offering it this school year. Schools have until the start of the school year to confirm whether or not they will be offering the sport, she said.

Langrock said that schools that are interested should work with leagues and districts to plan schedules for a girls flag football season and once that is finished can inform the WIAA of their plans.

“The Seahawks are also offering some great resources in terms of grant money available for schools looking to start up a flag program,” she said.

One such program is with Moses Lake Grid Kids Football, which announced a new partnership with NFL FLAG to start flag football for girls in grades 1-12 which will start this fall.

Langrock said that players and spectators can expect a lot of fun from the sport as it continues to gain traction in schools and communities.

“From what I’ve seen it’s a fast-paced game. It’s a separate and distinct sport from football and something that speaks for itself when it’s the fastest growing sport in the country,” she said. “Being adopted as an Olympic sport, the appeal is there, the hype and excitement is there.”