New Jersey sanctions high school girls flag football with help from Eagles, Giants, Jets
Flag football is officially a sanctioned sport for high school girls in New Jersey.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association voted Monday to approve the sport.
The Philadelphia Eagles, along with the New York Giants and Jets, have supported flag football in New Jersey and helped grow the sport through money and programs, according to a press release from the Eagles.
A sport is considered for sanctioning when it has adopted operational and safety standards from a governing body and when those standards are implemented into programs, the announcement says.
"From the earliest days supporting girls flag football, we believed in the sport's ability to grow and create meaningful opportunities for young female athletes. What started as an ambitious goal to get the sport sanctioned in Pennsylvania has evolved into an ongoing pursuit to expand the sport beyond state lines," Jeffrey Lurie, chairman and CEO of the Eagles, said in a statement.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association sanctioned girls' flag football in September 2024.
The Eagles have hosted the Final Four and state championships for New Jersey's high school girls flag football leagues at the Jefferson Health Training Complex and have facilitated clinics for players and coaches, the press release says. Flag football teams from Delaware played at Lincoln Financial Field during halftime of an Eagles preseason game last summer.
"The National Football League, including the Philadelphia Eagles, has been instrumental in raising awareness and creating opportunities from the outset, and that ongoing commitment has helped build the solid foundation we see today," Colleen E. Maguire, executive director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, said in a statement.