The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) has voted to sanction girls’ flag football as a sport, making Colorado the 11th state to do so. The decision comes after a two-year pilot program that saw participation increase by more than 150%.
The inaugural season of sanctioned girls’ flag football will begin this fall, marking a historic moment for the sport and providing a new pathway into sports for girls in Colorado.
The Broncos and the Denver Broncos Foundation funded and operated both seasons of the pilot program. Broncos owner Carrie Walton Penner was a strong advocate for the sanctioning of girls’ flag football.
According to CHSAA, among the 1,316 participants in the pilot program, almost 75% had never played flag football before joining their high school team and more than half stated that they otherwise would have not participated in another fall sport.
Chatfield High School was among the schools to participate in the pilot program and won the championship in 2022. Running back Caitlin Dennis believes that having girls’ flag football as a high school option will help to show younger girls that they can play the sport and encourage them to continue playing sports in high school.
The CHSAA Legislative Council voted 57 to 9, with five abstentions, to sanction girls’ flag football. Girls’ flag football is now the 14th fall activity and the 18th girls’ sport officially recognized by CHSAA.
