Washington Commanders Pushing to Sanction Flag Football
This may be a site dedicated to collegiate flag football but we'd be remiss not to acknowledge the sport's growth in the high school ranks, which has also helped fuel the growth at colleges and universities. This week, two NFL franchises announced moves to help grow the sport further. First, the Minnesota Vikings will provide funding to help six colleges launch a flag football league. Secondly, the Washington Commanders are beginning to push three nearby high school associations to sanction flag football.
Washington publicly announced they would like to see the high school associations in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia sanction flag football. The three high school associations are the DCSAA, MPSSAA, and VHSL, respectively. While the Commanders ultimately want to see the sport sanctioned in those three states, the team plans to be active in the DMV area by putting on coaching, football, and officiating clinics.
The timeline for any sanctioning of flag football for those three associations is unclear. 14 states have already sanctioned flag football as a sport: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Washington state's attempt to sanction the sport failed in 2024, but another proposal will be on the docket again in 2025. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) requires a 60% approval to pass the measure, which will be voted on in April.
Washington is not the only state or NFL team looking to bolster flag football. The New Orleans Saints have been working with local high schools to implement a pilot program. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) will have a formal vote to finalize the approval of flag football at a meeting in April. The Saints were also instrumental in Mississippi's approval of the sport earlier in 2025.
As flag football continues to grow for high schools across the country, the collegiate level is expected to follow. Over 65 collegiate flag football teams are competing in 2025 and an additional 65 will join for the 2026 season. Expect that number to increase as the year progresses.