As one of the fastest growing sports in the country, girls flag football fever is sweeping the country – and for the thousands of young women in Pennsylvania participating in the sport, it has become closer to finding the truth.
More than a year after being designated by the PIAA as an “emerging sport” in Pennsylvania, the PIAA’s board of directors voted Wednesday to recognize girls’ soccer as a sanctioned sport, and the process was passed with a consensus of 32. -0. In order to be sanctioned by the PIAA, the sport must have at least 100 participating schools across the country, a threshold that girls’ soccer reached in April.
Now, the PIAA will begin the process of creating a rulebook and implementing a system of play, among other measures. The WPIAL and PIAA will begin sanctioning sports in the 2026 season, but there won’t be any “official” PIAA sports until the 2026-27 school year.
“We are excited to provide another opportunity for girls to participate in collegiate athletics,” PIAA president Frank Majikes said in a press release. “This is the second girls’ game in two years to be recognized. In recognition of the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), we will be launching the development of the girls’ flag football rulebook in January 2025. This will allow us to continue our process of holding championships. . Changes to the athletic structure will not begin until the 2025-26 school year. “
Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles have played an important role in accelerating the growth of sports, both in the NFL league in the past three years that have helped lay the groundwork for the girls’ soccer movement throughout Pennsylvania.
Local schools have participated in the Steelers’ Girls Flag Football League since 2022, a league that started with just six teams in its inaugural season and has grown to 36 participants. The league will continue one year before the PIAA took over as an official sports affiliate.
“We are excited to witness such an exciting time for the future of girls soccer,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a release. “It was great to work with the Eagles to reach a successful conclusion that will now give young girls the opportunity to compete at the national level. We look forward to seeing how girls soccer continues to grow in Pennsylvania and around the world. ”
In the first season of the Steelers Girls Basketball League, Moon advanced to the championship finals before falling in double overtime against Shaler. Since then, the Tigers have gone on to win back-to-back contests while beating nearly every opponent in their path, cementing their place as the regular host of the WPIAL and the undisputed team to beat.
“Per month, there is a budget that we set for that program. “There are conditions in the way we play and what we expect at the end of the season,” said Moon coach Jason Russell. “For [girls flag football] to get to where it is now, where so many schools are involved, and it’s a sanctioned sport – to see how it’s changed, it’s amazing.”
The Tigers were one of six founding members of the league, which has since expanded to include 32 WPIAL schools and four from the City League. Each year, the level of competition increases dramatically as players continue to improve their skills – and perhaps more importantly, learn the football concepts and ideas that make the game unique.
“Many girls in the district, they don’t grow up playing football. “But they’re picking it up faster than anyone I’ve ever seen,” said Russell. “Now, because of this [PIAA sanctioning]maybe they will start playing younger and younger. So that when they get to high school, they’re ready, just like any other sport.”
While Moon has already established himself as a perennial championship leader, other schools joining the party are trying to make up for lost time while teaching a new game to players with no football experience. of the feet.
For McKeesport coach Dino Interi, the 2024 season was a humbling but rewarding experience. After being thrown into the fire as Tigers head coach in the short pre-season, 26-year-old Interi and 25-year-old deputy Luke Johnson have helped mold their players into be a competitive team showing a lot of promise for the future.
“I think, organizationally, we were ahead of the curve, of course. But it showed to have girls who were still young in the game against girls with less experience,” Interi said. . “A lot of people say, ‘It’s like real football.’ And I’m like, ‘No it’s not.’ You run, throw and catch the same, but everything is different.”
Now, with the first WPIAL and PIAA championships just around the corner, teams will have one year to get fully up to speed before making it official and competing under the PIAA banner. Until then, everyone is chasing the Moon, while the Tigers are chasing their three-peat championship.
“It’s all about the attitude of our girls and the example the first players set,” said Moon coach Jason Russell. “We have tough practices, very strong practices. We take it very seriously on the Moon. All the girls play their part and play their part. They understand now that they have won twice and that they have been in the championship for three whole years.
“But it’s a new season, and they know last year was last year, and it’s time to move on and set goals for next year. But they’ll be ready.”
Steve is a sportswriter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he’s currently hitting. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
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