Girls Flag Football in New York
Sanctioned New York recognizes girls' flag football as a varsity sport with a state championship.
Is girls' flag football a varsity sport in New York?
Yes. Girls' flag football is sanctioned by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), with a state championship. First sanctioned season: 2022-23. Checked against NYSPHSAA's own materials on 2026-09-15.
Does New York have girls' flag football?
Yes. High schools in New York play girls' flag football as a NYSPHSAA-sanctioned sport. The season is played in spring.
When is girls' flag football season in New York?
Spring; state championship early June. From NYSPHSAA's own materials.
Can you play college flag football in New York?
Yes. We have checked 14 varsity women's flag football programs at colleges in New York: D'Youville University (NCAA D-II), Dominican University New York (NCAA D-II), Elmira College (NCAA D-III), Genesee Community College (NJCAA), Hartwick College (NCAA D-III), Herkimer County Community College (NJCAA), Long Island University (NCAA D-I), Nassau Community College (NJCAA), and 6 more. Each is confirmed from its conference's, college's or governing body's own pages.
The details
| Governing body | New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) |
|---|---|
| First sanctioned season | 2022-23 |
| Season | Spring; state championship early June |
| State championship | Yes, first held 2024 |
Checked on 2026-09-15 against NYSPHSAA's association championship operations packet and committee minutes.
NYSPHSAA runs a Flag Football Championship in three classes (A, B and C), held 6-7 June 2026 with semifinals at Cortland High School and Homer High School and all finals at Homer. A standing Flag Football Committee with representatives from Sections 1 through 11 and two co-coordinators has met regularly since at least September 2023, with published minutes. State tournament host sites are awarded on a multi-year bid cycle approved by the Executive Committee. The NYSPHSAA launched a pilot in spring 2022 with 48 member schools in six sections (NYSPHSAA announcement published by the NFHS), made it an emerging sport for 2023, and held its first Flag Football State Championship on 1-2 June 2024 (NYSPHSAA, https://nysphsaa.org/news/2023/10/24/overtime-sports-the-game-grows-flag-football-introduced-as-nysphsaas-next-championship-sport.aspx).
College programmes in New York
Varsity women's flag football programmes based in New York, checked against conference or school sources:
- D'Youville University — NCAA D-II, Independent
- Dominican University New York — NCAA D-II, CACC
- Elmira College — NCAA D-III, Empire 8
- Genesee Community College — NJCAA
- Hartwick College — NCAA D-III, Empire 8
- Herkimer County Community College — NJCAA
- Long Island University — NCAA D-I, ECAC
- Nassau Community College — NJCAA
- Roberts Wesleyan University — NCAA D-II, Independent
- Russell Sage College — NCAA D-III, Empire 8
- St. John Fisher University — NCAA D-III, Empire 8
- SUNY Brockport — NCAA D-III, Empire 8
- SUNY Geneseo — NCAA D-III, Empire 8
- Villa Maria College — USCAA, Independent
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 New York fits nationally
23 states and the District of Columbia have sanctioned girls' flag football as a high school sport, by our count, and New York is one of them. See the national tracker for every state, or why published counts differ.
Neighboring states
- Connecticut Pilot
- Massachusetts Not sanctioned
- New Jersey Sanctioned
- Pennsylvania Sanctioned
- Vermont Not sanctioned
Funding for girls' flag football in New York
- New York Jets: More than $1.5 million since 2011, when the Jets started a league with New York City's PSAL; more than 225 schools in Jets-supported New York conferences. Weekly awards: $2,000 Coach of the Week and $1,000 Player of the Week donations to programs, and $4,000 for Coach of the Year. No open application found. (Jets, 5 Feb 2025)
National grants open to schools anywhere are in our directory of girls' flag football grants.
More on girls' flag football
- How to start a girls' flag football team
- Grants and NFL club funding for girls' flag football
- Girls' flag football state champions, every state
- Women's flag football scholarships by division
- Flag football at the 2028 Olympics: where high school fits
- High school girls' flag football rules: the FAQ
- Equipment rules by state: headgear, mouthguards, flags, cleats
- How many girls play flag football, by state
- The sanctioning timeline, state by state
- When girls' flag football season is played in each state
- How the rules differ from state to state
- The pathway from high school to college
- Every state and the District of Columbia