On Monday, March 18, the Chiefs hosted a dinner and meeting at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for coaches and administrators whose schools have signed up for the upcoming high school girls Flag Football spring season pilot program.
A total of 32 coaches and athletic directors from local Missouri schools were in attendance for the session, which included a presentation and review of the rule book by the Assistant Director of Officiating for NFL Flag, Michael Jenkins. In addition, the coaches and administrators reviewed drills, practice plans and playbooks of 7-v-7 Flag Football.
Missouri schools launching their pilot program this spring include Kansas City Public Schools (Central, East, Northeast, Southeast and Paseo Performing Arts High Schools), Independence School District (Truman, William Chrisman, Van Horn High Schools), Lee's Summit School District (Lee's Summit, Lee's Summit North and Lee's Summit West High Schools), Raymore-Peculiar, Raytown, Belton, Notre Dame de Sion and Nixa High School.
As part of joining the pilot program, the Kansas City Chiefs have provided each team with a $6,000 grant to kickstart their programs and have connected teams with grant opportunities for access to Nike jerseys, USA Football equipment kits and a community website page dedicated to the high school coaches to access resources including the rule book, practice plans and additional grant opportunities.
"Flag Football is one of the fastest-growing sports today, as reflected by the recent 2028 Olympic Bid," Chiefs Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Lara Krug said. "In the Kansas City area we have youth programs specifically for female athletes through the Girls Play Flag Football League and 12 colleges between the KCAC and NJCAA in our area that have women's Flag Football teams. By supporting high school girls Flag Football, we are helping complete the pathway for young girls to start playing the sport at the age of five or six and having a road for them to compete all the way up to the national level."
The season will kick off on Friday, April 12, and run through Saturday, May 11, with an end-of-season tournament on Saturday, May 18. Games will be played at Paragon Star in Lee's Summit and other school fields on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
On Sunday, April 21, GEHA Field at Arrowhead will host the NFL Flag Super Regional Semifinals and Finals for all participating age groups. The winner of the 18U Division will represent the Chiefs at the NFL Flag National Championship in Canton, Ohio, on July 18-21. The NFL Flag Championships is a first-of-its-kind tournament hosted by the NFL, ESPN, RCX Sports and Omaha Productions. ESPN and Disney Networks will provide live coverage of the tournament.
Also, on April 21, the participating student-athletes are invited to a High School Girls Flag Football Luncheon and Panel at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to hear from a group of female leaders in sports and Flag Football players on their own unique paths and experiences. After the luncheon, participants will watch the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Women's Flag Football Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead before participating in a High School Flag Football Showcase, competing in drills and 1-v-1s with the opportunity to be recruited by local NAIA and NJCAA college coaches.
Girls Flag Football is currently being played at multiple local colleges at the NAIA and NJCAA level with potential scholarship opportunities available. These colleges include Bethel College, Cottey College, Kansas Wesleyan University, Midland University, Ottawa University, University of Saint Mary, Graceland University, Baker University, Southwestern College, Fort Scott Community College, Pratt Community College and Hesston College.
This year, 16 Missouri high schools will have spring pilot programs, bringing the total to 20 Missouri schools that have launched girls Flag Football pilot programs (four schools in the North Kansas City School District had pilot programs in Fall of 2023). Funding and grant opportunities are still available for additional Missouri and Kansas high schools. If you are interested in bringing girls Flag Football to your high school, please visit http://chiefs.com/bringflagfootball for more information.
