NEW ORLEANS (WLBT) – Girl’s flag football is set to become a competitive sport at Mississippi high schools.

Tuesday, the New Orleans Saints, in collaboration with the Mississippi High School Activities Association, announced the official sanctioning of Girls High School Flag Football in the state.

This groundbreaking initiative is set to begin in the Spring of 2025, with the inaugural season slated to kick off in late March.

The pilot season will feature 12 high schools, with games taking place at Southwest Mississippi Community College and Picayune High School. The participating schools include:

• Brandon High School
• East Central High School
• George County High School
• McComb High School
• Meridian High School
• Oak Grove High School
• Perry Central High School
• Picayune High School
• Richland High School
• South Pike High School
• St. Martin High School
• Vancleave High School

“In keeping with our mission to enhance the educational experience through opportunities for participation in interscholastic activities, this initiative reflects our commitment to growing access and opportunity for student-athletes throughout the state,” said MHSAA Executive Director Rickey Neaves. “We are grateful for the New Orleans Saints and the NFL for their partnership in this effort and look forward to building a robust, long-term relationship with the Saints organization.”

“We are thrilled to partner with the MHSAA and bring the excitement of girls’ flag football to the state of Mississippi,” said Gayle Benson, Owner of the New Orleans Saints. “This is just the beginning, and we look forward to seeing the league grow, offering more young women the chance to experience the joy and empowerment that sports bring.”

As the pilot season is preparing to launch, the Saints and MHSAA say they will remain committed to expanding the program in the years to come, ensuring more schools and student-athletes across the state can be part of this exciting new chapter for Mississippi’s young student-athletes.

“This is an amazing milestone in our quest to sanction all 50 states for girls flag football,” said Stephanie Kwok, NFL Vice President of flag football. “Mississippi makes the 14th state that has sanctioned flag football as an official girls’ high school varsity sport. We have seen tremendous increase in participation in the sport, but it would not happen without NFL Club support like the New Orleans Saints.”

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2025 WLBT. All rights reserved.