ILLINOIS, USA — Grid irons across Illinois will be getting some additional action in the fall 2024 season.
On Wednesday, Feb. 14, officials with the Illinois High School Association announced that in fall 2024, Girls Flag Football will be a recognized IHSA sport for the first time. That also includes a full postseason, meaning one Illinois school will get to take home the sport's first-ever Illinois state championship title. The sport's addition comes just two years after IHSA gave the green light to Girls Wrestling.
According to IHSA officials, more than 100 schools will have teams playing in the opening season, and another 40 schools are expecting to participate in 2025. However, there's still some work to be done before kickoff.
“We have a group of people who are dedicated to seeing the sport flourish and putting on a first-class state tournament. One area where we know we will need help is with officiating. We hope we can recruit some new officials to the sport, while also having current IHSA officials in other sports, including 11-player and 8-player football, add licenses to referee girls flag football as well," IHSA Assistant Executive Director Tracie Henry said.
The inaugural state championship finals will take place on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12.
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