Poway Unified organizing girls flag football to start in fall 2024

Girls at Poway Unified high schools will be able to play flag football next year.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Board of Managers approved the addition of the sport to CIF San Diego Section’s fall season of sports in May. Some schools around the county have started to offer girls flag football this fall, but the Poway school district plans to organize it to start next fall.

The early starters may have already had club flag football teams and were able to quickly convert their teams to get play this year, said Dave LeMaster, executive director of Learning Support Services for Poway Unified School District.

This year, 44 San Diego-area teams will field girls flag football teams. They include Mira Mesa, Patrick Henry, Point Loma and Scripps Ranch.

Of the 44 schools, 17 will be in the City Conference, seven in the North County, 14 in three leagues in the South Bay and six in the desert.

The delay will give Poway time to hire coaches, purchase equipment and uniforms, and plan interest meetings where parents and students will be invited to learn more about the girls flag football program. The meetings, expected to be scheduled around December, will help gauge interest in the game, LeMaster said.

“I heard from the school sites that there’s interest so I assume all five high schools will have a team,” he said. “We want the launch of the new season to be successful and smooth. We’ve brought on other sports in the past and we’re familiar with the process. We know how to have everything set in place so we can have a successful season.”

In the last two decades, Poway Unified has added other girls sports including field hockey and lacrosse, which have been in place for awhile. Girls sand volleyball and competitive cheer for both males and females were added about five or six years ago, LeMaster said. Girls wrestling has also been around awhile, but more girls are now taking an interest in it and wrestling teams are growing, he said.

Expanding the offerings gives students more opportunities to participate in interscholastic sports, LeMaster said.

“Students are looking for ways to connect to the campus and get involved,” he said. “Sports are one avenue for that.”

Some Poway Unified schools have already been organizing informal powderpuff football games for girls, sometimes without official uniforms but usually while wearing flags. The games follow similar rules to flag football but are organized by the ASB director and student body, LeMaster said.

Typically students help coach the powderpuff games, but in some cases the football coaches might help advise or supervise, he said. Having powderpuff football games available to student athletes is a sign that there is interest in organized flag football activities, he added.

Darshana Patel , president of the Poway Unified school board, said bringing in flag football builds on the district’s tradition of providing a “consistent and inclusive experience” for all the students.

“This expansion not only highlights our commitment to meeting the interests of our students, but also underscores our dedication to fostering a supportive and empowering environment where girls can thrive in sports,” Patel said in an email.

Playing sports promotes physical health, teamwork, discipline and personal growth, Patel said, and students can learn essential life skills such as time management, goal setting and perseverance.

To keep up with the demand created by an increased number of student athletes, LeMaster said the district is adding a second athletic trainer to each high school. Three additional athletic trainers have been hired already and the district is in the process of hiring two more.

With two athletic trainers at each school, the district aims to ensure that students receive immediate attention and support in case of injuries or medical concerns during sports activities, Patel said.

Although Poway Unified trustees discussed girls flag football at their Aug. 22 school board meeting, the item was informational with no vote taken on the cost to implement the sport. However, five high schools in the district will be paid a stipend to pay for a head coach, LeMaster said.

“We will thoroughly assess the costs associated with starting up this new sport and allocate resources efficiently and responsibly to ensure that the introduction of girls flag football is financially sustainable,” Patel said. “We believe the long-term advantages of providing an inclusive and diverse sport offering will outweigh the initial costs.”

LeMaster said the girls flag football teams will play on teams of seven vs. seven players following standard football rules. The game will be played on the same field as regular football with a full 100 yards during football season. Since it is flag football, the sport may involve some type of blocking but it will not be a full contact sport, he said.

There will be less physical contact than traditional football, but scoring will be the same as football, he added.

More information about girls flag football is available on the California CIF website, cifstate.org, by clicking on “sports” then “flag football.” Students with specific questions can reach out to their schools’ athletic departments.

John Maffei from the San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this story