By Dominic Scianna
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) SCORE! sports programs for elementary schools begin its first year of Girls 7th-8th Grade Flag Football this spring at two locations across Chicago. Teams will be participating at McKinley Park and Julian High School, and this new initiative will serve as a robust feeder system should the athletes wish to continue playing girl’s flag football at the high school level with Chicago Public League (CPL) affiliated teams.
“It is important for the CPS SCORE elementary program to separate the girl’s and boy’s flag football team concept this spring at the 7th-8th grade levels,” said Juliana Zavala, CPS senior manager of elementary sports. “It had been a co-ed team concept in the past, but now we can give the girl’s their own separate elementary competition to serve as a feeder system for more CPS high school participants to the sport.”
This comes off the heels of a second straight banner year for CPL Girl’s High School Flag Football with a record 48 teams doubling participation in 2022, up from 22 teams in 2021. This year, the CPL will branch out to accommodate close to 60 teams in the fall of 2023.
The Chicago Bears have been major sponsors of girl’s flag football at the high school level with the CPL since 2021. In addition Nike and the Bears have offered key financial support by donating all equipment (head gear, uniforms, and football cleats) for CPL team participants. Gatorade, Buffalo Wild Wings, and NFL Flag have also been key contributors to get girl’s flag football widespread visibility and exposure in Illinois.
Illinois has also expanded its girl’s flag football reach to the Rockford area and the Western Suburban Conference in recent years. Currently, widespread interest has been picking up steam in other suburban areas for new high schools entering varsity leagues across the state this year. The goal in making girl’s flag football a sanctioned Illinois High School Association (IHSA) sport is to reach 10% of member institutions participating, or approximately 80-90 schools. Over the last two years, 60 high school teams have registered state-wide.
“Seven states across the country have sanctioned girl’s flag football as a high school sport so we’re on the right track in gaining momentum plus we’ve had positive conversations with the IHSA to move in that direction,” admitted Zavala. “We’re hopeful that the fall of 2024 will be our year and 2023 will serve as our final provisional year of play.”
Last October, the Bears and Bears Care hosted the inaugural Girl’s State Flag Football Championship Final Four in Illinois by creating a round robin tournament format featuring the top competitive high schools. Willowbrook High School emerged as the 2022 champion defeating Taft in the title game. Kenwood Academy won the third-place contest defeating Rockford Guilford. All games were played at the Bears’ Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, IL.
Past CPL Girl’s High School Flag Football regular season city champions have included Back of the Yards High School (2021) and Taft High School (2022).
“We’ve gotten great feedback from the CPS SCORE elementary school coaches, players, and liaisons that I’ve talked to,” said Ashlee Anderson, Athletic Program Administrator for Elementary – Networks 8, 9 and 10. “We have the potential this spring to field 60 teams from two divisions on the Northwest and Southwest sides of Chicago. The exciting thing for us and these elementary schools is the great opportunity to go on to play high school level girl’s flag football and even continue at the college level.”
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is the lone collegiate athletics association in the U.S. that recognizes girl’s flag football as a varsity sport. They currently offer scholarships among 16 universities and colleges who field girl’s flag football teams across the country..
CPS SCORE and the CPL also offer with the Bears a Summer Showcase Event (held last November) for coaches to see the top 120 student-athletes in the state (compiled from CPL, East Suburban Conference, and Rockford leagues).
These top Illinois girl’s flag football players also get valuable opportunities to be coached, trained, and receive video feedback during the showcase events which will again take place in 2023.
