A New Era for Girls Flag Football
On May 4, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association officially added girls flag football to its varsity lineup, making it the 35th sanctioned sport in the state. The move follows fifteen years of grassroots advocacy by parents, educators, coaches, students and partner organizations.
Sanctioning the sport brings stable funding, structured competition and a clear progression route for female athletes, allowing them to pursue scholarships, collegiate play and ultimately Olympic participation. The New York Jets have been instrumental, supporting more than 260 teams across three countries and injecting over $2.5 million in grants and resources.
The initiative traces its roots to a modest program that began with roughly twenty schools in New York City’s Public Schools Athletic League. Through the leadership of the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation, the model has expanded into a national framework, launching the largest collegiate women’s flag football league with a $1 million grant and establishing the first NFL‑backed leagues in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and the varsity designation ensures that New Jersey high schools will field nearly 160 teams next season, cementing the sport’s place in the high school athletic landscape.
Community involvement remains the engine of this growth, with Woody Johnson, chairman of the New York Jets, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of expanding youth and women’s access to sport. The foundation’s continued investment underscores a broader commitment to measuring success by impact rather than optics.