Florida's Pioneers in Girls Flag Football Inspire Nationwide Growth
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Tampa, Florida - For Alicia and Taylor Jones, playing football in high school was always a given. As identical twins, they followed in the footsteps of their three older sisters who played for the renowned Robinson High School flag football team. This dynasty, built over two decades ago, has won an impressive 10 state championships and paved the way for girls flag football to become a staple in Florida schools. In recent years, the sport has gained momentum nationwide, with 14 states sanctioning it as an official high school sport. However, Florida has been a trailblazer in this movement, with over 10,000 girls participating across four divisions and 450 schools. The state's pioneering spirit can be attributed to its adoption of girls flag football in 2003, making it the first state to sanction the sport. Robinson High School and Alonso High School, both located in Tampa, are two of the most successful programs in the state. Alonso, just 30 minutes away from Robinson, has also won four state titles and was featured in a Nike commercial alongside Robinson four years ago. Natalie Fischer, a sophomore at Alonso, discovered the sport after moving from Malaysia and credits it with changing her life. The backbone of this movement is the generations of women who played flag football before it gained national attention. They are now helping to usher the sport into its new era, with many returning to their alma maters as coaches. Deliah Autry-Jones, a U.S. Women's Flag national team player, is one such example. She returned to Robinson as an assistant coach and is now a contender for the 2028 Olympics, where flag football will make its debut. The growth of girls flag football is not only driven by interest in women's sports but also by the support of benefactors like Nike and the NFL. As the sport continues to gain popularity, more coaches are seeking advice from experienced mentors like Robinson's Joshua Saunders and Alonso's Matt Hernandez. Their advice? Focus on patience and give yourself time to grow. For many Florida high school players, the dream of playing flag football in college is within reach. At least 65 NCAA schools sponsor girls flag football, with the majority at the club level. The sport is slowly developing collegiate opportunities, and players are hopeful that it will become an official NCAA sport in the future. As Alonso senior Gabriella Werr said, 'Flag is going to keep growing very fast, and I think that's going to be a shock to some people, but not to others.'
