Flag Football – An Interesting Past and a Bright Future
Diane Bloodworth, scoutSMART Founder and CEO
Flag Football originated as a means of recreation for American soldiers during World War II who then brought the game back home with them. Fort Meade in Maryland is said to have hosted the first games of flag football.
Flag Football has an interesting past, but what is the future? The popularity of flag football has been growing at the youth levels for the past 10 years. In 2023, about 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football – a 63 percent increase since 2019. Flag Football has grown significantly for many reasons: it is a sport of inclusivity, there is reduced risk of injury (compared to tackle football), and NFL support. Currently nine states have sanctioned Flag at the High School Level, and 17 other states are in various stages of a pilot program. Flag Football will be included in the 2028 Olympics and several universities now have Flag Football teams and offer scholarships.
Why add Flag to scoutSMART? It is important to our user base, and we see this sport as an emerging sport. scoutSMART is positioned to be one of the early data providers for Flag. Finally, as a female founder in the sports tech industry, I am really excited to see young women playing football and we want to support them through their football journey and improve their opportunities to play at the next level.
Know someone that plays Flag Football? Have them create a profile here:
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