(FLORHAM PARK, NJ) /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark decision, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) recently voted to officially sanction girls' flag football as a varsity high school sport statewide, beginning in the 2026–2027 school year.
This long-awaited approval makes girls' flag football the 35th sanctioned sport in New Jersey high school athletics, a milestone achieved after a successful two-year pilot program and more than a decade of advocacy from the New York Jets. The vote represents a historic step for women's athletics in the Garden State, who will now have the same opportunity as boys to compete for scholastic championships in the sport of football.
The New York Jets, a driving force behind New Jersey's girls' flag football boom, have played a pivotal role in making today's decision possible. Over the last decade the Jets have championed girls' flag football, laying the groundwork that led to today's historic achievement. With New Jersey's decision, this marks the third time the New York Jets have helped drive the sanctioning of girls' flag football as a varsity sport, following the creation of the PSAL league1 in New York City in 2011 and New York State's sanctioning in 2024—cementing the Jet s' role as a national leader in growing football opportunities for girls.
The New York Jets' contributions were instrumental throughout this journey. Beginning in 2021, the Jets seeded New Jersey's first girls' high school flag league with the Super Football Conference, providing funding, equipment, and organizational support to get it off the ground. What started with eight pioneering schools in one conference quickly blossomed: by 2023, more than 100 schools in New Jersey were participating at the club or pilot level, and by 2025 over 140 high schools fielded girls' flag teams statewide. As of today, there are approximately 4,200 girls playing the sport in the Garden State.
Jets‑supported conferences across North and Central Jersey experienced explosive growth in participation, marked by media days, tournaments, and state championship games at venues such as MetLife Stadium, Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, and Kean University. These efforts not only highlighted the enthusiasm for girls' football but built a compelling case for official sanctioning as a varsity sport.
Throughout the pilot program, the Jets worked hand-in-hand with the NJSIAA and local athletic leaders to ensure success. The club provided critical resources such as free uniforms, equipment grants, coaching clinics, and awards to recognize outstanding players and coaches each week. "The growth of girls flag football in New Jersey has been a true collaborative effort, and we're grateful to all of the partners who have supported our member schools and student-athletes along the way," said Colleen E. Maguire, Executive Director NJSIAA. "The National Football League, specifically the New York Jets, has played a meaningful role in building awareness and expanding opportunities from the early stages, and that continued commitment has helped shape the strong foundation we see today. We are excited to watch the continued growth of our newest sanctioned sport and continuing to increase opportunities for our girls."
These sustained grassroots initiatives were part of the Jets' vision to have girls' flag football formally recognized at the high school level.
"When we launched this program, we set out to achieve exactly this, varsity status for girls' flag in New Jersey," said Jesse Linder, the Jets' Vice President of Community Relations. "For years, we've worked alongside coaches, schools, and the NJSIAA to expand the game. Going from a handful of pilot teams to a full-fledged varsity sport is an incredible moment for everyone involved. We're proud of the thousands of girls who have proven that football truly is for everyone, and we'll continue to support them as they compete for championships as varsity athletes."
The impact of the Jets' commitment extends beyond New Jersey's borders. Leading the effort in New York City since 2011 with the founding of a high school girls flag football league in the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), the Jets girls' football advocacy helped New York State sanction varsity flag football in 2024. The club has even launched programs internationally – including the UK and Ireland's first girls' NFL flag league and to foster elite competition. In total, the New York Jets have helped establish more than 260 girls' flag teams across three countries in the sport to date while engaging over 7,000 young women annually. This broad effort, backed by upwards of $3.5 million in funding and grants from the Jets and the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation, underscores the franchise's unique role as a leader in growing football opportunities for young girls.
Today's vote in New Jersey arrives amid a nationwide surge in girls' flag football. Flag football is one of the fastest-growing high school sports in America, which is now played in some form in at least 40 states, with nearly 70,000 girls participating annually as of 2025 academic year, which is a 60% increase over the course of the last calendar year according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. With the adoption of flag football by New Jersey, there are now 21 states that have sanctioned it as a varsity sport, with 19 others having launched pilot programs in recent years. The sport is also breaking barriers at higher levels: the NCAA is considering women's flag as an emerging collegiate sport, and flag football is set to debut as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. With New Jersey's decision, the Garden State's female athletes will now be on an equal footing, benefiting from both the thrill of varsity competition and new pathways to collegiate flag football opportunities.
1 New York City's PSAL has over 400 schools that support varsity athletics. NYC school system operates independently from NY state.
