A ponytail swings back and forth in the air with each stride. Manicured nails reach high above. A hush falls over the crowd until the football lands in outstretched hands. Screams and cheers fill the bleachers, the first touchdown was just caught in St. Louis’ first official high school girls flag football game. 

March 25 was just another day back at school for many students across the region. However, on this night, Gateway STEM High School’s football field would go on to make history. The Hazelwood West Wildcats faced off against the Gateway STEM Jaguars in this inaugural matchup; the Wildcats would go on to win 58-0. Less than three weeks after this game took place, Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) announced girls flag football as an emerging varsity sport. Sports labeled “emerging” are newly approved sports with less than 50 schools involved. After the recent classification by MSHSAA, girls flag football sits alongside sports like field hockey and lacrosse.  

“If MSHSAA is recognizing flag football as an emerging sport, it is very possible there will be enough athletes [at West] to support a team, and it would grow over time. It’s really all about what the [female athletes] want,” West Middle physical education teacher Drew Lilledahl said.

Prior to receiving the official designation from MSHSAA, middle schools across the Parkway district had pre-existing teams supporting different variations of no-contact football. With weekly practices, West Middle’s flag football team, led by Lilledahl, has experienced firsthand the expansion of the sport, growing numerically but also breaking through the gender barrier.

“Flag football has evolved since we started intramural programs at all five Parkway middle schools. Originally, it was fleetball, but with the [growing] popularity of flag football, we switched to flag football. Over the years, [West] has brought home many team trophies for winning fleetball [or] flag football tournaments. This year, [especially] we have seen a significant increase in female participation,” Lilledahl said. 

Females stepping into predominantly male spaces is not a new concept. Despite the historical women’s suffrage movement, it wasn’t until 50 years later that education was recognized as an equal right for all in the passing of Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendment. Just three years after the original passing of this law, provisions were made extending Title IX’s liberties to prevent gender discrimination against student athletes; this ensures that women are allowed to try out for men’s sports if an equivalent opportunity does not exist. Due to physiological differences between men and women, these guarantees are limited to no-contact sports, such as flag football, which offers limited opportunities at the collegiate level. 

In contrast to the 265 NCAA Division I football programs, there are eight women’s flag football teams competing at this caliber. In 2024, Nevada native Ki’Lolo Westerlund was awarded the first Division I flag football scholarship. Westerlund began playing with Alabama State University in the inaugural 2026 Division I season. As the sport continues to emerge at the collegiate level, youth involvement in the sport has grown rapidly with nearly 70,000 athletes during the 2024-2025 season. Due to the unique and inclusive nature of the sport, the expansion to St. Louis was expected, even desired, by many.

“I’d definitely [join]. I feel like we should have had a flag football team already. I know that a lot of other schools have a team or [even] just a club in general. It’s a way to have another sport for girls, and [sports are] super fun and a good way to bond with other people,” junior Jaeda McRaven said.

So if the sport has already made its way to the area, what does it take for West to get a team of its own? Prior to the formalities of adding a varsity high school sport, schools must garner social support and resources. From coaches to lead the teams to students who will make up the team, logistical decisions have to be made before the official process can begin. 

“In public education, you do that which the public supports, so that is what [West] will do. [However], sometimes more is not better. You get into the discussions of we are not adding coaches, but we are adding activities. This means we are adding cake but not icing, so the icing gets spread thinner. If girls want to play, I say let them play,” Lilledahl said. 

Even after the social growth, the official sanctioning of these sports to MSHSAA requires the sponsorship of at least 50 member schools. This 50 school threshold may seem miniscule considering there are over 700 schools possessing MSHSAA memberships; however, sports like girls lacrosse have been in this phase for nearly two decades. Solidifying its spot as a MSHSAA sanctioned sport would result in sport-wide standardized regulations and the enforcement of eligibility requirements for students. Participating in MSHSAA sanctioned sports requires students to earn three credits each athletic season, or for students at West, six classes a semester. 

In comparison to girls lacrosse, girls flag football is being backed by the National Football League (NFL), the highest-valued professional sports league in the world. Individually, NFL teams across the country have supported the formation of girls flag football leagues in their respective states. The Pittsburgh Steelers collaborated with their intrastate rivals the Philadelphia Eagles to get girls flag football officially sanctioned in the state of Pennsylvania. Nationally, the NFL has made moves to support, both socially and financially, the growth of the sport. In March, the news officially broke that the NFL would be partnering with TMRW Sports to operate a professional football league for men and women. Across the nation, the visibility and popularity of major professional sports leagues is mirrored in youth sports participation. Professional sports provide high-level role models for youth athletes, encouraging prolonged participation in respective youth leagues. 

With the NFL’s endorsement of girls flag football, the possibilities of success for flag football seem endless, and in turn, bring society one step closer to gender equality in sports. 

“It depends on how you define success. Here in America, we have done a great job of liberating our women to do whatever they want. Our female sports teams enjoy success at every level because of the grass roots movement supported by our society as a whole,” Lilledahl said.

*Featuring photos by  Maura Lottes and Alyssa Gessner