Pennsylvania made flag football an officially sanctioned girls' high school sport Wednesday amid a push from the commonwealth's NFL teams to encourage more female athletes to get on the field. The approval from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association -- the statewide body that governs high school athletics in the commonwealth -- makes flag football an official sport for girls in the nation's fifth-most populous state starting in the 2025-26 school year.

Any time that you can provide somebody with an option of a future has tremendous effect,” said Jordan Mailata on the growth of girls’ flag football, which will now be offered in the PIAA.