NFL FLAG Football is set to launch as a club sport in three Wisconsin school districts — Racine Unified, Kenosha Unified, and Whitefish Bay — giving female student‑athletes a new avenue to compete.
A New Playbook for Girls’ Sports
The rollout coincides with a broader push from the NCAA, which now offers scholarships for flag football at schools such as UW‑Parkside, and the sport’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games has added national visibility.
Madison Gomez, a junior at Park High School, said the program feels like a long‑awaited door opening for girls who want to play football. Across town, McKynna Szymandera from Case High School echoed the sentiment, calling the opportunity “exciting” for young women.
Aleigha Zold of Horlick experienced her first taste of the game at a recent camp, where she learned defensive fundamentals, flag‑pulling techniques, and play execution, and she encouraged classmates to give it a try.
Coaches Casey Robbins and Jose Ramirez, who are overseeing the program’s implementation, praised the collaboration with former Green Bay Packer Donald Driver, who helped announce the league and is actively supporting its growth.
Both coaches and student leaders share a common goal: to see flag football adopted by the WIAA and become a sanctioned varsity sport, a milestone they believe could transform participation rates for girls across the state.