For the past few years, groups of girls at Kaneland High School have been working to create a girls flag football team at Kaneland. This year, interest has grown with more girls wanting their own officially established flag football team.
With the national and local increase in desire for flag football, the idea for Kaneland to have one as well is on the rise. According to NPR Illinois, the IHSA added girls flag football as the newest official high school sport as of the 2024-25 school year.
As girls flag football gains statewide recognition and participation rapidly increases, students at Kaneland are pushing for equal opportunities to join the growing sport.
With the recognition of girls flag football as a sport, a meeting was held last year, with a strong turnout of girls interested in playing the following year.
Despite the large turnout and high enthusiasm, a coach for the team could not be secured. As a result, the girls flag football team was never created.
The annual powderpuff game was held on the Kaneland High School football field during homecoming week. The game ended with a senior win.
Kaneland has been doing its best to integrate new sports into their athletics department, with boys lacrosse being the most recent addition. And many girls believe that flag football is a sport that should be added as well. Specifically, sophomore Ava Kraus has been trying to get a team up and running.
“I think we should definitely make a flag football team at our school because it would get a lot more girls involved in school sports, and so many people have interest in it,” Kraus said. “It’s also offered at many other local schools, and I believe we should get the chance to play as well.”
According to a survey from the NFHS, there were only 20,875 girls participating in flag football in 2022, and in the 2023 season, there were 42,955 participants. With the increase in flag football participation at the high school level, the desire for a girls team is growing rapidly here.
While the idea of a girls flag football team being added to Kaneland High School as an official sport is currently out of the question, making it a club, at least at first, is a good possibility. Finding a coach for a club team would be less complicated due to less of a time commitment.
“I think there is a difference if girls flag football is considered a club versus an actual team sport,” varsity football head coach Michael Thorgesen said. “I also think it all depends on how official we want the girls flag football team to be and how many girls want to participate.”
With many new sports beginning as student-led clubs, many girls believe that having a girls flag football club would open the door for those who are still searching for a sport of their own. A club program would provide an accessible entry point for students who may not have prior experience in athletics, allowing them to learn the game, build confidence-and feel included in a team environment while also helping to grow interest in the sport.
Moving forward, students like Kraus are hoping to establish the girls program. They plan on doing so by continuing to raise interest, searching for a coach -and working with school officials to explore the possibility of starting as a club before eventually becoming a full-fledged sport for Kaneland girls.
