As the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) considers adding the sport of girls flag football as an official high school sport, sophomore Hannah Holman has stepped into her first season during a period of major growth.
Girls flag football has been around for decades, but participation stayed low until recent years. However, according to the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), in 2023, the total number of girls flag football players saw a 55% increase.
Holman began playing for the youth flag football team, the Kansas City Guardians, in early 2025, after her sister’s coach offered her a spot. She said she was hesitant about playing, but the coach reassured her it would be a fun experience.
“[They] offered me at one of Haley’s (her sister) winter games and explained it to me. I was nervous about starting at first, but then when she explained how it goes and how easy it is, I said yes,” Holman said.
She said as she continued to play, the more comfortable she felt.
“After I made better connections with the girls and team chemistry formed, I think it was easier for me to relax and have fun with the sport,” Holman said.
Throughout Holman’s time playing, her mother, Jennifer Holman, has attended most of her games and practices. From her perspective, she said the sport’s growth has become a large part of their family’s routine.
“That is all we are. We have practice three nights a week, and we have games all day Saturday. When we’re not doing flag football, we’re watching tapes about flag football,” Jennifer said.
Holman said the environment her teammates and coaches built has played a big role in why she enjoys the sport. She said her coaches have welcomed her with open arms.
“My relationship with my coaches is really good,” Holman said. “I like to joke with them, and it makes practice more fun.”
One of her coaches, Darren Keith, noticed the burst in popularity for the sport, especially in the local area.
“It’s grown substantially. The leagues we play in have probably doubled, if not tripled, in size,” Keith said. “There was the announcement last year that flag football is going to be in the Olympics.”
With the sport growing to new levels, Keith said colleges are beginning to offer scholarships for girls who play competitively.
“I’ve noticed more colleges are picking up flag football. Some of the colleges that we work with as our team, our organization, have been offering tons of scholarships to these girls as well,” Keith said.
Gina Knapp, a member of the Board of Directors for Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA), the Blue Valley Board of Education and a BVNW parent, said the board is trying to make girls flag football an official sport beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
“We’ve (KSHSAA) been talking about it a lot because we’ve been doing a lot of boys flag football too, but the Chiefs and the NFL have been sponsoring a lot of the teams for girls flag football because they really want it to take off,” Knapp said.
She said there are still challenges to address, including finding enough referees, ensuring girls fields match the quality of boys fields, maintaining equity across programs and avoiding conflicts with other fall sports.
For Holman, the sport of flag football has become a place where she feels loved and supported.
“Flag football means it’s a break from everything else,” Holman said. “When you’re on that field, you don’t have to worry about anything other than running your routes and having fun with your team.”
