Girls Flag Football Takes Root in Virginia
The Washington Commanders have announced a partnership that will see them sponsor a girls high school flag football league across several Hampton Roads communities, covering Suffolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News and Hampton.
The initiative is designed to elevate the emerging sport to official status within the Virginia High School League, following successful pilots in Maryland and North Carolina.
Jamaar Hawkins, who founded the i‑64 flag circuit years ago with just eight participants, now serves as the league’s first dedicated women’s flag coach and sees the program as a natural progression from grassroots to high school competition.
Hawkins predicts a steep learning curve and fierce rivalry among the schools, forecasting that the talent pool will expand rapidly as more athletes discover the game.
In 2025, he will assume the historic role of the first-ever Women’s flag coach at Virginia Wesleyan, a move that underscores the sport’s growing institutional support.