Flag football is surging across the United States, drawing participants from youth leagues to high school varsity programs.
Olympic debut and NCAA momentum
The International Olympic Committee has confirmed that men’s and women’s flag football will feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, a move that could accelerate its mainstream acceptance.
The NCAA has also pledged to sanction flag football as a collegiate sport, signaling institutional backing that could reshape scholarship opportunities.
Games are played on an 80‑yard by 40‑yard field with seven players per side, a stark contrast to the 11‑player, 100‑yard layout of tackle football.
Because it is non‑contact, players wear flag belts that must be pulled to stop a down, and scoring follows a six‑point touchdown with a one‑yard conversion attempt.
Coaches often scout athletes from basketball and soccer, leveraging their agility and spatial awareness to teach the sport’s nuances.
In the Lower Hudson Valley, Scarsdale High School coach Thomas Newkirk regularly recruits players with those backgrounds, while Katie DiChiaro, who founded the region’s first all‑girls flag football youth league in 2018, has helped expand participation among girls.
The spring season runs from late March through June, during which teams typically run about two dozen offensive plays, each with optional variations.