Girl’s flag football may be coming to Durham soon as an officially sanctioned high school sport. 

On Nov. 22, the girl’s high school flag football state championship final four was held at Durham County Memorial Stadium. Even with several injuries, undefeated Wakefield high school (Raleigh) defeated Ashley high school (Wilmington), 20-6, in the championship game. This was the second straight year that the championship was held in Durham and the tournament was put together by Durham Public Schools, the Durham Sports Commission, Wake County Public Schools and National Amateur Sports, per the NAS’s website. 

In its fifth year as an unsanctioned sport, over 300 high schools sponsor flag football. The sport has opened doors for girls who grew up playing football and those who come over from other sports alike. And in a press conference after its meeting on Dec. 2, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) indicated that the governing board might meet as early as February to discuss sanctioning flag football. 

“We want to make sure we are clear on its coming and we know it’s coming,” NCHSAA board of director member Sam Jones said in the Winter Board of Directors meeting on Dec. 1. “And we want to be prepared for it.” 

There are a couple obstacles that the NCHSAA Board of Directors talked about during the meeting that have to be figured out when it comes to officially sanctioning flag football. 

One is the season that it will be played in. Currently, since there is no “official” governing body, different schools compete in the fall, winter and spring seasons.

Deciding which season flag football will be played in is needed to officially sanction the sport. As of now, it appears that it will be played in fall. 

According to Jones, more schools play in the fall and there are less conflicts with other sports during that time. 

Another obstacle is setting up the calendar for a fall invitational season starting next year, with having to decide how games will be scheduled. 

“I also think once [the schools] realize it’s here, participation will go up,” Jones said in the meeting. 

Additionally, ensuring there is a system in place to have enough officials for games is important. 

In accordance with the push by the NCHSAA to make it a sanctioned sport, flag football has seen a rise in popularity in North Carolina over the last couple years. 

Starting something 

Like the majority of the girls he coaches, Wakefield head coach Kyle Bayer came over from another sport. When Wakefield was looking for another coach after last season, Bayer moved over from his position as the volleyball coach. 

In practice, he tried to apply the fundamentals from other sports to flag football. For a girl whose first sport was soccer, he taught them to cut off angles like a back might.  For basketball players, it was catching the ball at the highest point like going up for a rebound.

And it worked. The team won 27 games en route to the state championship two weeks ago.

“The culmination of knowing that we put together a string of 27 straight wins, and being able to hold that state championship trophy and seeing the look on everybody’s face, knowing that we actually pulled off a perfect season,  it’s tough to go ahead and top that,” Bayer said. 

Even without sanctioning, schools have been able to schedule games within and outside of their conferences. But official sanctioning would bring more recognition to the girls’ accomplishments and bring in more girls who are hesitant to start a new sport.

Dante Lombardi, the head coach of Ashley high school’s flag football program, talked about the growth of the game he’s seen in North Carolina recently. 

“I think it’s just going to continue to grow and grow and grow,” Lombardi said . “I think it’s a fun sport, I think people have realized that.” 

Before this year, the rules that flag football leagues in North Carolina went by were determined by USA Flag Football. But now, the leagues use the National Federation of State High School rulebook, the same one that a lot of college teams use. 

“So now that rulebook is out and that’s what colleges are playing and the majority of states already played, that’s a checkmark,” Lombardi said. 

According to Lombardi, sanctioning flag football as an official sport would set one season for the sport to be played in. Additionally, teams would play the same number of times in a season, compared to now where high schools each play a different amount of games. Overall, there would be more structure and standardization if the sport is sanctioned. 

What does this mean for Durham? 

While the first several rounds of the playoffs were held at campus sites, the final four was played in Durham. 

Teams hail from all over the state, but Durham makes sense as a venue because of its central location and sports culture. 

Last year, The Durham Voice reported on the up and coming flag football scene in Durham, specifically about the Southern School of Energy and Sustainability.

At that time Durham public schools were trying to apply for flag football to become an officially sanctioned sport. 

While no official decision has been made yet, the NCHSAA’s board meeting and the recent movement toward officially sanctioning flag football has shown progress. 

“We are very hopeful we will have it sanctioned by the NCHSAA, but we are eagerly anticipating a decision,” Durham Public Schools athletic director David Hackney wrote in an email to The Durham Voice. 

While it isn’t an official sport yet, there is a good chance flag football is coming to Durham and the entire state of North Carolina as a sanctioned sport as early as next fall.