The Tennessee Titans and Hamilton County Schools have announced that they have partnered to bring an interscholastic girls flag football league to East Tennessee. The league is an expansion of the Titans' effort to bring girls flag football to the state of Tennessee after successful seasons in Williamson County, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools in Middle Tennessee.
The Hamilton County Schools league will kick off in Winter 2024 (October – December) and feature 11 schools in its first year. Participating schools include Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts (CSLA), Chattanooga Central High School, Brainerd High School, East Hamilton High School, East Ridge High School, The Howard School, Sale Creek High School, Signal Mountain High School, Soddy Daisy High School, Tyner Academy and Ooltewah High School. Season schedule structure will be announced at a later time.
“When we launched girls flag in 2022, our goal was to keep expanding the program across the state, offering more young women the opportunity to engage with the sport,” said Josh Corey, senior director of Cause Marketing. “We are thrilled to expand this league to East Tennessee and look forward to seeing the impact continue to grow.”
Girls Flag was recently approved by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) as a statewide sanctioned high school varsity sport. The Titans, Hamilton County Schools and the TSSAA will continue to advise in the area of game officials, championship planning, tournament format, rules interpretations, and any other areas that may be helpful in setting a framework for girls flag football to grow in Tennessee.
NFL FLAG, which has led efforts to expand women's flag football across the U.S. at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels, will also partner with the program to provide training and guidance.
“We couldn’t wait to partner with the Tennessee Titans to bring girls flag football to our East Tennessee athletes,” said Tim James, athletics director for Hamilton County Schools. “So many talented young women play sports in our district, and this offers a new avenue to engage with football and further develop their athletic abilities. The Titans have already opened doors for girls in Middle Tennessee, and we are thankful to have the same opportunity here in Hamilton County.”
In Spring 2022, the Titans worked with the Williamson County Sports Conference to establish the state's first-ever interscholastic girls flag football league in WCS’ nine public schools. The league has since launched in Metro Nashville Public Schools as part of the Titans’ ONE Community partnership with MNPS, and Clarksville-Montgomery Schools. All leagues will continue play this spring.
Girls interested in playing girls flag in Hamilton County should visit http://www.hcde.org/girls_flag_football and fill-out an interest form to receive additional updates as preparation for the Winter season begins.