AUSTIN — Girls’ flag football moved closer to becoming a University Interscholastic League sport Monday, when the UIL Legislative Council approved development of a pilot program for the 2028–29 school year.
The pilot would begin with no more than two classifications and still requires final approval from the Texas commissioner of education, according to reporting by the San Antonio Express-News. UIL staff will now work through rules, costs, scheduling, facilities, officiating and competition structure before presenting an implementation plan to the council in June 2027.
The proposal calls for a state championship in each participating classification, with district, regional or other qualifying events leading to the title games, the Houston Chronicle reported. The sport’s place on the school calendar has not yet been decided.
Houston has been a major center of the sport’s growth. The Houston Texans’ girls’ flag-football program, launched in 2023, now includes 96 area high schools, according to the Chronicle. The Texans and Dallas Cowboys have advocated for UIL recognition and have helped schools build leagues, tournaments and recruiting opportunities.
A UIL superintendent survey conducted this fall found that 52% of respondents from Class 5A and 6A schools supported sanctioning girls’ flag football. The survey also found that 165 Texas schools already participate in the sport.
The council’s action follows a June meeting at which UIL officials directed staff to develop an implementation plan and survey superintendents. That earlier decision was documented in an official UIL release. The October meeting was held Oct. 18–19 in Austin, according to the league’s Legislative Council page.
For students, formal UIL status would bring a standardized route from district play to a state championship while giving schools a clearer framework for staffing and facilities. The two-year runway also gives districts time to evaluate participation, budgets and how the new season would fit alongside existing girls’ sports.
The vote does not yet make girls’ flag football a fully sanctioned statewide sport. It establishes the pilot and directs UIL staff to turn the fast-growing activity into a workable statewide competition model.
Featured image is an original illustrative scene and does not depict a specific school, team or game.
