Girls Flag Football in Arizona

Sanctioned Arizona recognizes girls' flag football as a varsity sport with a state championship.

Is girls' flag football a varsity sport in Arizona?

Yes. Girls' flag football is sanctioned by the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA), with a state championship. First sanctioned season: 2023-24. Checked against AIA's own materials on 2026-09-15.

Does Arizona have girls' flag football?

Yes. High schools in Arizona play girls' flag football as a AIA-sanctioned sport.

When is girls' flag football season in Arizona?

Fall, alongside tackle football. From AIA's own materials.

Can you play college flag football in Arizona?

Yes. We have checked 3 varsity women's flag football programs at colleges in Arizona: Arizona Christian University (NAIA), Benedictine University at Mesa (NAIA), Ottawa University Arizona (NAIA). Each is confirmed from its conference's, college's or governing body's own pages.

The details

Governing body	Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA)
First sanctioned season	2023-24
Season	Fall, alongside tackle football
State championship	Yes, first held 2023

Checked on 2026-09-15 against AIA's association tournament guide.

AIA publishes a Flag Football Tournament Guide with a named AIA Sport Tournament Coordinator, covering host site instructions, general rules, and administrator responsibilities for the state tournament. Per reporting quoting AIA Executive Director David Hines, the AIA Executive Board sanctioned girls flag football in December 2022, skipping emerging status, for a first season in fall 2023 with a state championship in year one; about 55 schools in the 6A and 5A conferences played that season, with the first championships in November 2023. Before sanctioning, member schools played club flag football in spring.

College programmes in Arizona

Varsity women's flag football programmes based in Arizona, checked against conference or school sources:

Arizona Christian University — NAIA, GSAC
Benedictine University at Mesa — NAIA, GSAC
Ottawa University Arizona — NAIA, GSAC

See all checked college programmes.

How states sanction the sport

Every association sets its own requirements before it adds a sport. Our guide to how states sanction girls' flag football compares them.

Where Arizona fits nationally

23 states and the District of Columbia have sanctioned girls' flag football as a high school sport, by our count, and Arizona is one of them. See the national tracker for every state, or why published counts differ.

Neighboring states

California Sanctioned
Colorado Sanctioned
New Mexico Not sanctioned
Nevada Sanctioned
Utah Not sanctioned

Equipment rules in Arizona

Headgear	Soft shells, stocking caps and religious headwear only
Mouthguard	Required
Flags	Three (one-piece belt)
Cleats	Rubber only; no metal or baseball/softball cleats
Ball	Youth size, brown; Wilson leather GST in the playoffs

From AIA Girls' Flag Football rulebook (updated May 2024). The NFHS rules apply where the state is silent — see equipment rules by state.

Arizona girls' flag football state champions

2025 6A	Hamilton def. Red Mountain, 7-0
2025 5A	Campo Verde def. Chaparral, 57-0
2025 4A	Salpointe Catholic def. Eastmark, 17-0
2025 3A	Scottsdale Christian def. Heritage Academy, 10-7
2024 6A	Hamilton def. Red Mountain, 21-17
2024 5A	Canyon View def. Mountain Pointe, 34-14

From the AIA's own record. Every final we have confirmed is on our state champions page.

Funding for girls' flag football in Arizona

We have not found an NFL club grant program for Arizona schools. USA Football's flag grants are open to high school girls' programs nationwide — see our directory of girls' flag football grants and the guide to starting a team.