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Girls Flag Football becoming a new IHSA sport marks an important milestone for women in sports

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced that girls’ flag football will join their 2024-25 State Series, with the state championship happening in mid-October of 2024.

Approved at their Feb. 5 meeting, 100 Illinois high schools are set to compete this year with 40 more schools expected to join in 2025. Among the schools anticipated to enter in 2026 or later are Metea Valley and fellow DVC members Waubonsie Valley and DeKalb.

“The IHSA, with local governing bodies like Metea Valley, looks to provide opportunities that students have interests in,” Metea Valley Athletic Director Matt Fehrmann said. “We look to incorporate activities that there could be a future in, financial support, and individuals who could lead these activities that are here at Metea Valley.”

The addition brings the total number of IHSA-sanctioned sports and activities to 40, yet questions still need to be answered before schools like Metea jump to add it.

“One would have to re-evaluate often to see it’s gain in popularity and impact it’s having on communities across our state,” Fehrmann said. “Is it placed in the right season? Is the involvement occurring across the State or just a small region? Is the new sport taking away from other sports? And so on and so on.” 

Girls’ flag football marks the first addition to the IHSA State Series since the introduction of esports and girls’ wrestling in 2022. Dan Tully, the President of the IHSA Board of Directors and Principal at Notre Dame College Prep expressed his excitement for the growing State Series in the IHSA announcement.

“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.”

With all the quick advances in such a short time, Fehrmann reiterates that the Mustangs will continue to be patient in the process of adding the new sport.

“Anytime you add a new sport/activity there are many things to consider, with many pros and cons,” Fehrmann said. “We need to do our homework and have the support before we add anything to [Metea Valleys’] schedules.”