Since its formation in 2021, UHS Girls’ Flag Football has made great strides as a competitive team. As the champions during the inaugural season of their original league, the team has claimed attention on multiple fronts. The girls have received local attention, being a recurring focal point in multiple OC Register and OC Sports Zone articles, as well as being invited to a tournament hosted by the Los Angeles Chargers. In the short time of their existence, they have even gained national recognition as some of the players were featured in a documentary by NFL 360 and a live segment on NFL Network.
Their most recent feat, however, took place off the field. Players at UHS were some of the most vocal advocates that Girls’ Flag Football should become an official sport within the California Interscholastic Federation. Recently established as a sanctioned sport earlier this year, Girls’ Flag Football has been given a platform to showcase its potential.
The players have found themselves with new amenities now being a sanctioned sport.
“[Girls’ Flag Football has been publicized through] home games in the stadium, [publications] on the school Instagram, senior banners and having GOWs,” Captain Riley Herstein said.
Herstein went on to speak about her hopes for the game in the coming years.
“I hope it’s the beginning of tremendous growth for this sport,” Herstein said. “I’d love to see it at D1 colleges and the Olympics one day.”
Ambitions are high as the sport has already skyrocketed in California.
“After being adopted by CIF, so many girls jumped right into playing flag football, showing how popular it is,” junior Carmen Cruz said. “I know so many girls, myself included, that would love to play flag football at the Division 1 college level, but unfortunately that isn’t in play yet.”
Inevitably, there are some rules and regulations with the sport that will need critiquing as this is the inaugural season. Head Coach Justin Schulman spoke on the limitations that the game holds.
“Having these games end in 45 minutes or so doesn’t allow these girls to be highlighted properly,” Schulman said. “Two halves of 20 minutes each is just too short for an official game.”
While the regulation time of a high school football game is 48 minutes, split up between four 12-minute quarters, the average time a play takes in football compared to flag football is significantly quicker. The games themselves last for multiple hours despite the game clock that doesn’t even reach a full 60 minutes. Other rules, such as the inability to dive for flags or swat passes, differences in the number of flags on one’s belt and the varying playing field size, may also require further review.
The girls, along with their supportive student body rallying behind them, are eager to see how far they can take the sport. Participation has already increased as well as spectators attending the home games to cheer on the girls.
As Herstein said, “This first year as a CIF sport is just the beginning.”
