Ready for primetime: Girls flag football on rise in Arizona with Cardinals backing

The continued growth of girls flag football in Arizona has led to televised games, including a recent meeting between Chandler’s Hamilton High and Xavier College Prep. (Photo by Daniella Trujillo/Cronkite News)

PHOENIX – Over the last year, girls flag football has drawn attention around the world after the International Olympic Committee announced it is among the sports that will be added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, school districts across the U.S. are adding the sport, with nearly half a million girls from the ages of 6 to 17 playing flag football, a 69 percent increase since 2019, according to the National Federation of High School Associations.

Few states have embraced the sport more enthusiastically than Arizona. Last year, 57 high schools in the state offered flag football. This season, more than 100 schools are participating at the 6A, 5A and 4A levels, according to the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

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And with the backing of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, KTVK-TV (Channel 3) is airing a “Cardinals High School Girls Flag Football Game of the Week” eight times this season.

The first game, which featured Chandler’s Hamilton High School and Xavier College Prep, aired in primetime with the Cardinals’ broadcast team of Dave Pasch and Ron Wolfley.

“I’ve been doing this for almost two decades, and back in the day it was two schools and then three,” said Hamilton coach Matt Stone. “That remarkable and exponential growth just means, not only more opportunity, but more competition.

“And I believe that our goal from 2012 onward was always to get to 200 high schools, and we’re getting there.”

The Cardinals partnered with State Farm to produce the games. Chandler High visits Mesa’s Mountain View High in the next game on the broadcast schedule, with kickoff Thursday at 5 p.m.

“The growth of flag football has been explosive, not only in our state and our country but worldwide,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a news release. “As an organization, we are proud to help grow the interest even more, and shine a spotlight on those competing at such a high level in our own community.”

The Cardinals became the first NFL team in the country to promote girls flag football to this level and back a primetime broadcast of the sport.

“This was a total surprise to me when they announced this,” Stone said of the Cardinals’ involvement. “It actually goes beyond my expectations. The Cardinals doing this is raising the bar for the 31 teams in the NFL and all the different states they help support.”

Hamilton was part of the inaugural season last year and a dominant force among the schools involved, losing 20-16 to Mountain View in the 6A semifinals. The Toros went on to defeat Glendale Mountain Ridge 10-7 in the 6A championship game.

Mountain View went 13-3 in the inaugural season under coach Jesuus Arzaga.

“It was a pretty cool experience,” Arzaga said. “This group of girls here in Arizona have been trailblazers.”

The season started for most teams on Sept. 17, when the first primetime game was played. Hamilton rolled past Xavier 48-14 in that game. Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was among those in attendance.

The girls in flag football appreciate the excitement that the broadcasts bring to the sport.

“It feels good being recognized for our sport because we’re out here every day,” said Hamilton center Allyson Cotter.

While the growth of the sport for Arizona high school athletes is a big development, the players know that it doesn’t have to end at the high school level. Colleges are adding the sport, and now the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles will bring a new level of exposure to the game.

“It’s been really exciting to watch because now it’s going to Division I schools, Division II, Division III,” said Hamilton rusher Michaiah Grant. “I love that because now we get to play it outside of high school. It’s now in the Olympics, so if that’s something we want to do in four years, we can train for that.”