After getting to play flag football for the first time, fourth-grader Violet Brooks knew what position she loved best. 

“I like quarterback. I like getting all the touchdowns,” she said.

Brooks is among nearly three dozen local girls who joined the Parks and Rec flag football program this past year. As the activity soars in popularity nationwide, Kansas has taken recent steps to enhance the sport and get more girls involved.

The state became the 18th to sanction girls flag football last week after a vote by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. 

Schools have the option to create teams at the middle and high school levels starting next school year. A state tournament will be played in October. 

Kansas high schools have been playing flag football since 2021 at the club level. This past fall, 28 schools had teams. 

“The interest has grown in our schools over the last three years and, about the last year and a half, we’ve had more serious talks with our schools about if this is gonna be the next sanctioned activity,” said Jeremy Holaday, assistant executive director of KSHSAA.

A factor in getting flag football sanctioned in the state was the support from the Kansas City Chiefs. 

“The Chiefs were very marketing driven in their approach,” Holaday said. “They saw an interest from girls trying to play the sport that they feel is up and coming.”

The Chiefs also provided grants to schools in Kansas and Missouri to help start flag football teams.

Eudora schools do not have plans for a team next fall, but the high school has received interest from a student, Athletic Director Cara Kimberlin said. 

“Then probably the next step will be that I’ll put something out that will survey who might be interested for next year,” she said.

The process of adding a sport or activity to Eudora schools requires interested students to create a budget outline for facilities, uniforms and coaches. Funding for new organizations is paid entirely by organizers for the first two years. The district would cover 25% in year three, 50% in year four, and completely cover for year five and beyond. This process is to ensure continuous student interest. 

But for younger kids, Parks and Rec received a grant last year to provide more girls sports, including support for flag football. 

Two teams with 34 girls competed last fall. The teams were first- through third-graders and fourth- through sixth-graders. The teams were originally only able to scrimmage themselves due to no local competition, but a league has now been formed with Baldwin and Wellsville. 

“It was a really, really good first season,” Parks and Recreation programmer Matt Shirhall said. “It was an awesome introduction for the girls to play flag football, awesome for the parents to see.”

Girls were allowed to compete in a previously existing flag football league, but few did. Girls’ participation in recreation sports has a large drop-off after fourth grade, Shirhall said. Parks and Rec decided to fund a girls flag football league because co-rec sports can be barriers for girls to sign up, he said. 

Playing this past year was the first experience that many girls had playing football. 

“It was like playing normal football, but way more funner,” fourth-grader Quinn Moore said. 

After the spring season had Eudora teams only play each other, she felt excited to play against new teams and fresh faces.  

“More people are going to watch you, like people you don’t know,” Moore said. 

Second-grader Zoey Meyers grew up in a football-loving family. She had seen her dad coach and her brother play. After Parks and Rec added a girls flag football league, she now had the opportunity to play herself. 

“It was fun,” she said. “I got to see my friends and learn this stuff.”

This year was Evan Meyers’ first experience coaching girls flag football. After his experience, he has high hopes for the future of the sport.

“I think it validates what a lot of us have already been saying,” Meyers said. “There’s demand for this sport, there’s passion for this sport that’s growing with these young athletes. I think that this is definitely going to create those opportunities for this sport just to grow and flourish in the future.”

Reach Trey Myers at [email protected].