Girls flag football, first introduced by the Chicago Public League schools, is now an IHSA-sanctioned sport. What began as an inaugural league in partnership with Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Bears has now expanded to over 100 participating teams and IHSA sanctioning, an announcement the IHSA made in partnership with the Chicago Bears from Halas Hall. The CPL conducted a postseason tourney in 2021 before the Chicago Bears joined the partnership, hosting a state championship event at Halas Hall in 2022 and 2023

The Illinois High School Association announced the introduction of a Girls Flag Football State Series, with the inaugural postseason set to kick off in the fall of 2024.
In a press release, President of the IHSA Board of Directors Dan Tully expressed excitement about the addition of Girls Flag Football to the IHSA roster, citing significant growth in the sport.

“Girls Flag Football is somewhat unprecedented in terms of its growth and timeline for achieving an IHSA State Series,” Tully said. “We are enthusiastic about how much has been accomplished in such a short amount of time, and expect that participation will continue to increase in the years ahead.”

The IHSA Board of Directors formalized the decision to introduce a Girls Flag Football State Series at their Feb. 4 meeting, expanding the IHSA’s offerings to encompass 40 sports and activities for the 2024-25 academic year, joining recent additions to the IHSA State Series like boys and girls lacrosse, girls wrestling and Esports.

The IHSA has already garnered commitments from over 100 schools to participate in the inaugural Girls Flag Football State Series, with nearly 40 additional schools expressing intentions to field teams in 2025.

The IHSA Girls Flag Football Advisory Committee will continue refining the State Series’s rules and structure, with plans to finalize details at upcoming meetings.

But before the inaugural IHSA Girls Flag Football State Finals are played on Oct. 11-12, 2024, IHSA Assistant Executive Director Tracie Henry said, a considerable amount of work needs to be completed.

“There is a lot of work to done before we crown the first IHSA Girls Flag Football State Champion,” said Henry, who will serve as the IHSA Girls Flag Football administrator.

“We have a group of people who are dedicated to seeing the sport flourish and putting on a first-class state tournament. One area where we know we will need help is with officiating.”