BEREA, Ohio — Last week, Tennesee became the 10th state in the United States to make girls' flag football a state-sanctioned sport. On Tuesday, Colorado became the 11th. The sport has been growing exponentially over the past several years, led in part by the NFL and its 32 clubs. It's become such a global phenomenon it's been adopted as an Olympic sport, set to debut in the summer of 2028.
Here in Northeast Ohio, the growth of the game has flourished under the support of the Browns' youth sports programming and the launch of the organization's flag football program. Hannah Lee, who manages youth sports for the club, has seen just how invested young people are once given the opportunity to play the sport,
"When I started as an intern in 2021, that was kind of my baby project was girls high school flag football. We started with six teams in 2021," Lee said. "To 2024 now is 51 teams. So the growth has been really awesome."
Dozens of teams across dozens of Northeast Ohio schools quickly formed rosters of girls who were eager to dedicate their time to the sport. At Berea-Midpark High School, the girls were quick to join the team and have poured themselves into the program. Players like Deionna Borders, who also joined the school's girls wrestling team the year it became a state-sanctioned sport, have the experience. Borders played center on the football team and now gives her talents to the flag football program at her school.
"It’s been great, the group of girls we have are fantastic and the support we’ve got from the school and the parents and boys team has been awesome," said girls flag football head coach Jonathan Hunek.
Despite all of the interest and despite all of the growth, girls' flag football has hit a snag in Ohio. Because of the 11 states that have seen the sport state-sanctioned, Ohio is not among them.
Without a sport being state-sanctioned, it can only truly function at a club level. Athletes can sign up and compete against other clubs, but their sport isn't recognized under the school's umbrella of programming or funding. There's no state tournament to play for or state titles to win for their schools.
That's something many in the Buckeye state are pushing to change.
"I think it would be awesome to have a state-sanctioned sport. I think it fills a void," Hunek said. "And as a high school coach, a high school educator, anytime we can get kids out doing stuff, I think it is a big deal. So I think we would push for it hard. I'm 100% in on it."
From local schools like Berea-Midpark to NFL's executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent Sr., who wrote an op-ed pushing the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) to sanction the sport, support is everywhere.
"Ohio has a chance to make a statement. The influential Ohio High School Coaches Association made its voice heard in February when board members held an impromptu vote, unanimously approving girls’ flag football as an OHSCA sport, clearing a critical hurdle before the Ohio High School Athletic Association takes up the debate," Vincent wrote just a few weeks ago."By giving young women the opportunity to play high school flag, the Buckeye State would send a message to families like mine that football — and all that comes with it — is indeed for all."
But the biggest driving force behind the push lies in Berea where athletes who had the opportunities to play their state-sanctioned sport in high school have gone on to become pros, to take the field any given Sunday and follow their passion onto the football field. The Cleveland Browns have made it a mission to see flag football reach that level for the youth here in Ohio.
Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II and linebacker Tony Fields II recently attended the Berea-Midpark girl's flag football team's practice, giving them advice and support ahead of their scheduled games. Both advocated for the state to make the change and include their sport among those recognized by OHSAA.
"Flag football is very pivotal, I started off playing flag football," Fields said. "I feel like its just another avenue, another aspect for the kids to be out of trouble and be out on the field and doing something they enjoy doing."
Newsome shared the same sentiment, knowing the importance of a sport for an athlete and what having something to compete for at a higher level can mean to a player.
"It would mean the world. That's what you compete for is to play in a championship in some sort, especially around the state. I think if it does become state-wide it would mean a lot for them," Newsome said. "They come out here and practice when they don't have to. Girls were talking about they got AP tests and things like that but they took the time out of their day to come here and practice because they're passionate about the sport so I think it would be great for them."
The Browns have listed the goal of their girls flag football programming as follows:
Together we have been working to elevate girls flag football to promote equality in sports offered at the high school level. Ultimately, the Browns are focused on creating a pathway for Girls High School Flag Football to become a sanctioned varsity sport under the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA).
It's been two years since OHSAA sanctioned girls' wrestling and boys' volleyball. There are now 28 sports recognized at that level by the association. At that time they were discussing ESports as another possible addition, and last May partnered with ESports Ohio to host a state tournament. But as ESports players can vouch, discussions take time, and for many in Ohio, the time to add at least one more sanctioned sport—flag football—is now.
As Lee continues her efforts with the Browns flag football programming, seeing major events and tournaments scheduled in the coming weeks and months, she hopes those efforts culminate in bigger results.
"To see other states—Alaska has girls flag sanctioned—we're hoping girls flag in Ohio is the next state up," Lee said. "Hoping within the next couple months, year, girls flag is something that is brought up in conversations with the association. Would love to get that sanctioned, would love to get those girls that equal opportunity to play at the high school level, get to wear their school colors, get to put on that Letterman jacket and walk in on Friday knowing they have a game that night."
Until that day, the efforts continue in the form of club-level tournaments and outings.
On May 4, the Browns are hosting their NFL FLAG Super Regional Tournament at the Cross Country Mortgage Campus in Berea. Hundreds of athletes in a range of ages will compete in a flag football tournament with the winners of the age divisions going on to compete in the NFL Flag Championship Tournament at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in July.
Then, on May 6, the Browns will host their Girls High School Flag Football Championship Tournament at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The event will feature 28 of their varsity teams competing for the championship.
