Girls flag football was a success in Kitsap, and is ready evolve with spring vote

Girls flag football was a success in Kitsap, and is ready evolve with spring vote | Column

Posted by author February 14, 2025 Football

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Winter isn’t the most optimal season for girls flag football, but the fall or spring would come with additional challenges.

In April, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s representative assembly will vote on an amendment to add girls flag football as an officially-sanctioned sport in Washington.

This same amendment failed to reach the goal line in 2024, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s enough support this time around. In Kitsap County alone, popularity in flag football boomed as we went from two teams (South Kitsap and North Kitsap) last season to six teams (Bainbridge, Bremerton, Kingston and Olympic) this season.

It’s quite possible that Central Kitsap School District will field three separate teams next year at Central Kitsap, Klahowya and Olympic. Students from all three schools played under the Olympic umbrella this winter for a team head coach Dan Ericson called the “Trougles,” a mix of Trojans, Cougars and Eagles.

North Mason athletic director Rob Thomas also told me this week that he’ll be looking into the Bulldogs adding a team in 2025. Overall, there’s nearly 100 schools with established girls flag football teams and the sport’s growth is showing no signs of slowing down.

“I’m super excited to see the results of the WIAA vote,” Ericson said.

“I’d be shocked if it didn’t pass,” Olympic athletic director Nate Andrews added.

If April’s vote is successful, there’s still some logistical questions that need to be answered in order for girls flag football to reach its fullest potential in Washington. Right at the top of the list, for me, is the weather.

Playing football — any kind of football — outside in the winter isn’t the easiest for student-athletes. There’s a reason that season is typically reserved for indoors sports like basketball, bowling and wrestling. Frankly, it’s just cold.

When I covered Kingston’s home event against Bainbridge, North Kitsap and Olympic in mid-January, I couldn’t believe some players were out there in shorts. All those girls earned my respect that evening.

“Being an outdoor winter sport is certainly something that comes with challenges,” South Kitsap coach Cody McCulley said. “But to me, that’s what football is all about. Working together to overcome obstacles as a unit and being tough as nails, regardless of the lack of physicality in our game.”

Cold temperatures are one thing, but snowy weather is another. The wintry mix that hit the region last week basically wiped out the league playoffs for Olympic and Kingston. Neither team was allowed to travel due to school cancellations, a headache that teams rarely experience when competing in the fall or the spring.

Based on the proposed amendment that will be considered by the representative assembly, weather factors are being considered. There are three season options being pondered: late August through mid-October, mid-November through early March, and early March through mid-May. Any of those options would allow regular seasons to conclude prior to a potential state tournament at the end of spring.

If flag football is approved as an official sport, it’d be up to schools within leagues to determine what season works best. Kingston athletic director Ed Call said there might not be an easy answer. For schools in eastern Washington, where the winter weather can be extremely brutal, playing flag football in January-February is likely not an option.

Then there are venue/field usage considerations. In the fall, flag football games and practices would have to scheduled around boys football and girls soccer. The same goes for the spring with boys soccer and track and field. There are no such field conflicts in the winter.

Another issue is athlete availability. Some of Kitsap’s top flag football players are multi-sport athletes who play soccer in the fall or softball in the spring. If flag football is moved to the fall or spring, athletes would be forced to choose one sport over the other.

“I think our sport needs to stay in winter because of field availability and the available pool of athletes we get to draw from during that time,” McCulley said.

Having girls flag football and boys football both in the fall would also be problematic for coaches like North Kitsap’s Chris Richardson, who serves as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator for boys and head coach for girls. It’s unlikely Richardson would be able to fill both roles, forcing him to choose one or the other. There are also referees that do both sports and some might have a difficult time fitting more games into their schedules in the fall.

At this stage, it seems the most sensible option for Kitsap teams in 2025-26 is sticking with a winter schedule to avoid field, referee and other sport conflicts, but make sure the season is long enough to allow for adjustments if weather issues arise. Then the state could hold a season-ending playoff tournament toward the end of the school year when the warmer weather arrives.

Sound like a plan? Maybe. Options are simply options at this point until April’s vote goes down. Right now, I can’t find many local folks involved with girls flag football that expect to be disappointed in two months. That’s when the finer details can start being discussed at greater length.

“This is an exciting time for flag football,” McCulley said. “The train is leaving the station and we are on it.”

Jeff Graham covers sports and education for the Kitsap Sun. Reach him at jgraham@kitsapsun.com