Girls’ Flag Football Surges as NFF Report Highlights Growth Across the Sport

By Habari Sports

Girls’ flag football participation climbed to more than 102,000 high school athletes in 2025–26, according to the National Football Foundation’s 2026–27 Annual Report on Football, which highlights expanding opportunities for women, college players, and student-athletes.

The report brings together participation, academic, attendance, and injury figures to make the foundation’s case for football’s continued importance in American communities. Its findings show substantial growth in girls’ flag football alongside a more modest increase in high school tackle participation.

“The future for football remains strong at every level of the sport,” NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell said in the report.

Girls’ Flag Football Leads Participation Growth

Citing National Federation of State High School Associations data, the report lists 102,360 girls playing high school flag football in 2025–26, compared with 68,847 the previous school year. That represents an increase of approximately 49%.

The latest total is more than twice the 42,955 participants recorded in 2023–24. The report also lists 3,990 schools offering girls’ flag football in 2025–26.

At the college level, the NFF reports that 325 colleges and universities, including junior and community colleges, offer women’s flag football. It identifies Nebraska as the first Football Bowl Subdivision institution to add varsity women’s flag football in 2026.

High school tackle football remained a major participation sport. The report’s table lists 1,076,907 boys and 4,334 girls playing tackle football in 2025–26, a combined total exceeding 1.08 million.

Boys’ tackle participation rose approximately 1.1% from the previous year, although it remained below the 1,109,636 recorded in 2015–16.

College Football Expands Its Reach

The report counts 779 colleges and universities offering football or preparing to launch announced programs, with more than 81,000 players competing in the NCAA and NAIA.

According to the foundation, NCAA, NAIA and independent institutions added 62 football programs over the past decade. Another 17 institutions are launching, restoring or transitioning programs in 2026 and beyond.

The NFF also emphasizes education. Citing the NCAA’s 2025 graduation report, it lists graduation success rates of 84% for FBS football players and 79% for Football Championship Subdivision players.

In 2026, the foundation reports that 2,687 players at 288 reporting schools are competing after earning undergraduate degrees. Of those, 1,728 are at 135 FBS institutions.

Attendance and Television Audiences Remain Strong

The report places total FBS attendance at 38,973,119 for the 2025 season, describing it as a record and the fourth consecutive annual increase.

It also reports that the Southwestern Athletic Conference drew more than one million fans, leading the FCS in attendance.

Television audiences provided another indicator of demand. According to the report, the January 2026 national championship between Indiana and Miami attracted 30.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched college football game in 11 years.

Safety Remains Part of the Conversation

The NFF report highlights changes to equipment, practice restrictions and injury monitoring. Citing NFL figures, it reports a 25% decrease in ACL tears during the 2025 regular season and lower kickoff injury rates under the league’s Dynamic Kickoff format.

Those findings concern specific NFL injury measures and do not establish that every level of football carries the same risks.

The foundation also points to limits on full-contact practices, concussion education and equipment standards as areas of continued attention.

For the NFF, the report’s central message is that football’s future extends beyond game-day audiences. Growing participation, women’s opportunities and academic achievement are central to its vision for the sport.

Source: National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, 2026–27 Annual Report on Football, supplied to Habari Entertainment.