On Feb. 3, 2023, California officially made flag football a girls’ high school sport for the 2023-2024 school year, ABC news reported.
MHS plans to have flag football next year in some capacity, Athletics Director Joanna Butcher said. Despite the addition of girls flag football, football will remain a co-ed sport, she added.
“Our plan and intent is to offer it in the fall and put information out and see what comes back,” Butcher said. “We just don’t know if there’s going to be an official league or if it’s going to be considered an exhibition.”
The starting equipment for the sport would include uniforms, flags, footballs, and extra training equipment, Butcher said. To get the funding, the athletics department would either need to look for grants or ask the district for additional funding, she added.
“It’s seven-on-seven; they’re suggesting 15 people, which is why I felt like we could field the team,” Butcher said. “They don’t play the full 100 yards. They’ve got some no-run zones and different things like that,” she added.
The team would likely practice on the soccer field after school, Butcher said. It is currently being discussed if the games would be at nighttime or if they would be right after school, she added. The sport currently has a lot of outside support, Butcher said.
“We know that the 49ers are definitely behind this movement; Nike’s behind it and said that they want to support schools and bring flag football into the school,” she said.
It would be a great idea to have flag football, freshman Kaelyn Cunanan said. Cunanan, who played powerpuff this year, would love to play flag football as an official sport at MHS, she said.
“I think our school as girls are very athletic, and I feel like it would be a great way for every class to bond,” Cunanan said. “I know that the football team attracts a lot of audiences, and I think it should be the same for girls.”
Part of the appeal for Cunanan is that flag football isn’t a contact sport, unlike football, Cunanan said. She also likes that it allows you to try a sport that’s perceived to be for boys, she said.
The last girl to play football on the varsity team was Alexis Ranger, Butcher said.
According to Maxpreps, Alexis Ranger-Dunbar last played on the MHS varsity football team as the kicker in the 2018-2019 season.
Junior Jasleen Dhaliwal, who also played powerpuff this year, believes that students would be interested in seeing flag football as an official sport, she said.
“It (powerpuff) was a lot of fun because I was playing with my friends, and it was nice just because it was a different type of sport,” Dhaliwal said. “If I had time in my schedule for it (flag football), I would definitely sign up just because I had so much fun.”
Dhaliwal said she felt it was a little insulting that flag football is limited to just girls.
“I know some girls would play football,” Dhaliwal said. “Having flag football be soft, it’s just kind of reciprocating society’s thoughts on how girls are softer than boys.”