Four Missouri City and Stafford high schools could soon field UIL-sanctioned girls flag football teams after a state vote Monday, Oct. 19.
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) Legislative Council approved a pilot program for girls flag football beginning in the 2028-29 school year, ABC13 reported. The proposal still needs final approval from the Texas commissioner of education.
Ridge Point, Elkins, Marshall and Stafford high schools all currently field girls flag football teams through the Houston Texans' She's Next program, according to the program's school directory. That positions all four to transition from the NFL-backed league into UIL-sanctioned competition once the pilot launches.
The pilot will include no more than two classifications. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported those would be Class 5A and 6A, with elective participation available for lower classifications. ABC13 reported the UIL has not yet specified which classifications will be included.
A UIL superintendent survey this fall found that 52% of 5A and 6A superintendents support sanctioning the sport. Across the state, 165 schools already offer girls flag football, according to UIL survey data cited in the Legislative Council's session packet.
The funding question looms. Teams in the Houston area are currently funded by the Texans, and districts will have to absorb costs for equipment, uniforms, officials and travel once the sport becomes a UIL activity. Districts will choose whether to participate, the Star-Telegram reported.
"There's a lot of costs associated with it when you talk about teams and uniforms and officials and putting the games, something that we haven't experienced before because the Texans have been funding and sponsoring us," Pasadena ISD athletic director Patrick Longstreet told ABC13.
The UIL has not decided which season flag football will occupy on the academic calendar. Longstreet noted the scheduling conflict: with tackle football already filling the fall, fitting flag into the same window could strain facilities and coaching staffs. Other states have split on timing. Georgia plays its season in the fall, while New York holds its season in the spring, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans built a non-sanctioned Texas high school league that involved more than 240 schools and nearly 5,500 athletes, the Star-Telegram reported. Hannah McNair of the Houston Texans Foundation said the sport has seen a 1,500% growth rate. Flag football is set to debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and the NCAA added women's flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026.
The pilot takes effect Aug. 1, 2028, according to South Texas News. Fort Bend ISD and Stafford MSD have not publicly announced whether they plan to participate.
