COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association has elevated girls flag football to a fully recognized sport for the 2026-27 school year, following a unanimous vote of the OHSAA Board of Directors at its June meeting.

Girls flag football becomes the OHSAA’s 29th recognized sport, which includes 15 sports for girls and 14 for boys. There are now 23 high school state associations in the United States that sanction girls flag football and a total of 40 states that offer girls high school football programs. Flag football will be included as a new sport in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“The OHSAA is so proud to welcome girls flag football to our family,” OHSAA executive director Doug Ute said in a statement. “Flag football has grown so rapidly and will continue to do so. The Browns, Bengals and NFL put in so much work to promote the game and bring us to this moment to welcome girls flag football to the OHSAA.”

This past spring, there were 162 high school girls flag football teams in Ohio. In May, the OHSAA partnered with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to conduct a high school state tournament event, which was won by Macedonia Nordonia.

The OHSAA has been meeting with Ohio flag football leaders for several years. The growth of girls flag football began in 2021 with the creation of the first Girls High School Flag Football division in Northeast Ohio. Three years ago, there were 20 schools in Ohio that had a team. Girls Flag Football is included in the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association.

“The recognition of girls flag football as an official varsity sport in Ohio is a tremendous milestone for student-athletes across the state,” Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “At the Cleveland Browns, we believe in creating more opportunities for young athletes to learn, compete and grow through the game of football and this decision marks just the beginning of that journey for many young women across Ohio. We’re proud to support the continued growth of girls flag football and look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on schools, communities and the next generation of players.”