Kansas sanctions girls flag football after campaign. The Chiefs played a role
Thursday, April 23, marked a transformative day in sports in Kansas.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association Board of Directors voted 61-1 to sanction girls flag football as an official high school sport, clearing the way for Kansas girls to compete for a state championship beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
Kansas is now the 18th state in the country to sanction the sport, which will be played in the fall. The move to sanction girls flag football received a lot of support, notably from the Kansas City Chiefs.
The team launched its “Let Her Play” initiative weeks before the vote, which saw more than 11,000 individuals sign a petition urging the KSHSAA to approve the sport. Statements from team legends like quarterback Trent Green, local icons like Tech N9ne and Heidi Gardner, and passing out “Let Her Play” flags at HyVee stores helped spread the message.
Sheila Sickau, the team’s senior marketing manager of football development, said it’s a dream come true.
“I remember being that girl that got told no when I would ride my bike up to school to try to play football because I was a girl,” Sickau said. “Now, to have this platform and to create thousands of opportunities for girls to feel embodied and confident and finally belong in the sport.”
Sickau, who was also the kicker for the Women’s National Football Conference’s Kansas City Glory before becoming team president in 2022, said it’s been three years in the making. According to the Chiefs’ database, 29 Kansas schools had pilot programs this past fall with an average roster size of 24 athletes and the majority coming from the Kansas City and Wichita areas.
Now that it’s sanctioned statewide, she expects more schools to start their own girls flag football teams.
Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement that the result of the vote reflects a collective effort, and that the Chiefs are proud to stand alongside everyone who helped make it clear that girls flag football deserves a place in Kansas high schools.
“(Thursday’s) vote will make it possible for so many girls across the state of Kansas to play flag football,” Hunt said. “We’re incredibly grateful to the fans, families, educators, school leaders, and communities across Kansas who raised their voices and showed up in support of these athletes.
Kansas schools could soon see themselves lined up alongside Missouri schools at future NFL Pro Bowl Games, where Staley High School senior Victoria Brady competed in February as a part of a seven-on-seven girls’ flag football showdown.
How will girls flag football work in Kansas schools?
Instead of operating as school clubs, teams can now become official school-sponsored programs. The sport will use the National Federation of State High School Associations flag football rulebook, giving schools standardized rules, governance and a postseason.
High school teams can play between six and 10 regular-season games, which features teams playing seven-on-seven football. The exact details of what the postseason format might look like are not finalized, KSHSAA assistant executive director Jeremy Holaday said to The Wichita Eagle.
Holaday said it’s realistic to expect one classification in its first season, but that KSHSAA will make a decision, likely in August, after seeing how many schools commit to playing.
If participation grows to around 50 schools, there could be a path to two classifications.
Girls flag football has been offered at the club level in Kansas since 2021.
The Wichita Eagle’s Taylor Eldridge contributed to this report.
