Girls flag football is now a sanctioned high-school level sport in New Jersey.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Board of Directors convened on May 4 at the Pines Manor in Middlesex County and reviewed, approved and ultimately designated the sport at the high-school level.
Since 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles have worked in tandem with the New York Giants and New York Jets to help grow the game at the youth level for girls in New Jersey through education, engagement and resources.
“The rise of girls flag football in New Jersey reflects a strong collaborative effort, and we’re thankful to the many partners who have supported student-athletes throughout this journey,” said Colleen E. Maguire, executive director of the NJSIAA.
“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.”
A sport is considered for sanctioning when it has adopted a set of operational and safety standards put forward by a governing body. When they are fully implemented within the overall framework of a program, there’s a more positive and structured experience for participants.
“This is a landmark moment for both the game of football and the state of New Jersey,” noted Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles’ chairman and CEO. “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.”
The Eagles have hosted the final four and state championships for New Jersey’s high-school girls flag leagues at the Jefferson Health Training Complex since 2023. Past state champions have included Mastery High School of Camden (2023, 2025) and Kingsway Regional High School (2024).
As part of their mission to increase access to girls’ youth sports, the Eagles partnered with Operation Warm in 2023 to launch a revolutionary new sports bra line – FLY:FWD – designed specifically for young girls and women competing in sports. The initiative kicked off with the distribution of 30,000 bras to girls in need across the Philadelphia area.
The Eagles also have holistically supported the expansion of girls flag football over the years by meeting a variety of needs with stipends, customized Nike uniforms, flag belts, footballs, FLY:FWD sports bras and USA Football flag kits.
Launched in the Spring of 2022, the Eagles Girls Flag Football League presented by Gatorade began with 16 schools from Philadelphia public and Catholic leagues. It has expanded exponentially, with more than 1,600 girls throughout the eastern side of Pennsylvania.
In September 2024, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) voted on and declared high-school girls flag football an officially sanctioned sport in the state.
“This is a landmark moment for both the game of football and the state of New Jersey,” said Jeffrey Lurie, chairman and CEO of the Philadelphia Eagles, of designating flag football as state sport at the high-school level.
