The state of Ohio has taken an important step in recognizing high school athletes who play girls flag football.
On Thursday, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) announced they have sanctioned girls high school flag football in the state of Ohio, making Ohio the 17th state to sanction the sport across the United States. Over the last five years, the Browns have played a pivotal role in working towards the sanctioning of girls flag football in Ohio.
"The decision to officially sanction girls flag football in Ohio is an important moment not just for the Browns, but for the entire state of Ohio and the game we love," Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. "We have seen firsthand how powerful the game of football can be in shaping confidence, leadership, and community, and we are proud that more young women will have the chance to experience that same growth. When we launched our Girls High School Flag Football League in 2021, the goal was to get to this day, but it wouldn't have been possible without the continuous work of the athletes, coaches, administrators and parents who all believed in the future of this sport. We want to thank the OHSAA, the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL for their partnership on bringing this to life as we continue to grow the game for girls across the state."
When the Browns first began their efforts to gauge interest in girls flag football in 2021, the conversations began with the Northeast Ohio Flag Football based in Lake County to talk with high school coaches about their interest in the sport and the program. The grassroots efforts of building awareness and contacting schools, as well as holding an exhibition game, followed by Jamboree later that year at Mentor High School, allowed the Browns to find their footing and create a foundation.
They implemented a pilot girls high school flag football league in the spring of 2022 alongside Northeast Ohio Flag Football, beginning with nine teams, as well as created the first high school girls flag football division in Ohio in 2022. Their success in the pilot season sparked schools to reach out to the Browns about their inclusion in the program.
The program continued to grow, with 30 teams in 2023, 51 teams in 2024 and 88 teams in 2025 across Northeast Ohio. As the division grew, Browns youth football manager Hannah Lee continued to reach out to schools to garner interest, as well as onboard teams into the program.
The girls flag football program has had the support of two partners in Gatorade and Bridgestone. Gatorade became the presenting partner of girls flag in 2021, and over the years, has provided tools to fuel athletes including product, coolers, bottles and more.
Bridgestone began providing support for girls flag through their partnership with the Browns in 2023 to help accelerate its pathway to become sanctioned in Ohio. Bridgestone has helped host experiential clinics to increase access to the sport and also provided direct donations that expanded local programming to reach more than 50 schools. In 2025, Bridgestone donated over $40,000 to the girls high school flag football program to help with referee costs. Bridgestone's contributions to girls flag further extend across the league through additional monetary donations to programs through the Cowboys, Rams, Patriots and Titans.
"The announcement today is a testament to teamwork and the strength of advocacy," Cleveland Browns Vice President of Community Relations Jenner Tekancic said. "There are countless individuals who made history with us today, and we are grateful for the officials, volunteer coaches and so many people behind the scenes who have been integral to get Ohio to this point. We look forward to the continued collaboration with the coaches association, our partners and those who are as passionate as we are to advance the game."
The Browns first began their conversations with the OHSAA in 2023 about the sanctioning of girls flag football. At the time, 14 states around the country had sanctioned the sport. Through those discussions, they learned the parameters of what it would require for girls flag football to be sanctioned in the state of Ohio.
One of those steps included the creation of a coaches association. In the spring of 2024 – one year after the Browns initially shared information on their interest to advance the game – the Browns continued their conversations with the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association (OHSFCA) ahead of their third quarter board meeting. During that meeting, the Browns presented high school girls flag football to the board, which resulted in a motion to officially include the sport in the association.
The motion passed, and the Browns became a part of the Board of Directors for OHSFCA, which is governed by a board of directors representing high school coaches from across Ohio. They are divided into 18 regions, with the Browns representing the newly established Region 18, specific to high school girls flag football. As board members, the Browns serve as the liaison between the OHSFCA and the sport statewide. Their region was added in the summer of 2024 and are the only NFL club that sits on a board for a high school football coaches association. Their inclusion represents high school girls flag football and gives them a seat at the table as part of the continued efforts they made to sanction girls flag football, which OHSFCA has provided a high level of support in the process.
As Board Directors for Region 18, the Browns collaborate with the OHSFCA to develop coaches' clinics, all-star games and other opportunities for growth and development. Additionally, they formed a committee with high school girls flag football coaches dedicated to the decision-making around key elements such as the rulebook, season schedules, game days and overall timeline of the season. They also focus on ensuring that multi-sport athletes can still participate in flag football while also avoiding conflicts with major school events like prom, graduation and other sports championship tournaments.
The girls high school flag football league also continued to grow across Ohio. Not only did the Browns increase teams to a total of 51 teams across 30 high schools in 2024, but they also expanded their reach into Summit and Stark counties, with the goal of pursuing statewide growth. That same year, the Bengals launched their pilot season for girls high school flag football in Cincinnati with six local high schools.
In 2025, the Browns attended a state coaches clinic in the Columbus area and activated with a girls high school flag football booth to speak with local high school coaches. They also spoke with the Central Buckeye League, and through those efforts, three high schools from that league were a part of the pilot season in the Columbus area. The Bengals also expanded to 20 local high schools in 2025.
The Browns also introduced 'A New Era Summit,' presented by Gatorade and in association with Bridgestone, beginning in 2024. The event has operated as an opportunity for athletes to be introduced to diverse career paths with sports and has served as a chance to distribute uniforms and equipment to teams ahead of the season.
"Their A New Era Summit, which has been beyond flag football, just great to show girls the opportunities in pro sports and where they can go in the future," Willoughby South head coach Matt McCue said. "These are things (that) 15 years ago, I don't know if those opportunities were there. So, it's great to see how they've supported that and really shown that there's a lot of opportunities if you want to pursue a career in professional sports or any sport."
The advocacy for girls flag football has been prominent throughout the Browns organization with coach and player involvement. Members of the front office, coaches and support staff wore custom shirts that featured the phrase "Sanction Girls Flag" on the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft. CB Greg Newsome II became the program's first-ever ambassador in February 2025. Since joining the Browns in 2021, Newsome has been an avid supporter of girls flag football by attending tournaments and helping coach athletes at Berea-Midpark's practices and has continued to attend events and use his platform to amplify the growth of the sport.
"Growing up with three sisters and welcoming my own daughter this fall, supporting women's sports is something I have always been passionate about and seeing young women get the chance to thrive on the football field is incredible," Newsome said in February 2025. "This is more than just a sport – the impact the game has on shaping confidence, leadership and resilience is limitless. I'm committed to supporting the Browns organization in their work to break barriers and create more opportunities for girls to play the sport."
All those factors have allowed the Browns to continue pursuing their goals of advancing the game. During the planning process of the 2025 season, the Browns began working with the Cleveland Football Officials Association to coordinate scheduling officials for games of all 88 teams in the league. They have continued to work directly with Northeast Ohio Flag Football to assist with game scheduling, league management and gameday necessities.
With the demonstrated statewide growth, conversations continued with OHSAA about sanctioning, and their involvement in the program to understand the scope and scale grew. As an official sanctioned sport, OHSAA will continue to use the blueprint laid out by the Browns from the previous five years and take steps to grow the game, providing athletes with the opportunity to play girls flag football at the varsity level.
"I think it's really important with club sports and varsity sports at the high school level, regardless boys or girls, I think it just really validates the sport for the athletes," McCue said. "So, I think moving it from a club sport to a sanctioned varsity sport, I think just means a lot for the athletes. They are putting in the same amount of work, same amount of effort, winning and losing feels the same whether it's club or varsity. But I think from that standpoint, it just gives them a sense of I'm a varsity athlete in a varsity sport. And I think from the girls' standpoint, it puts flag football right there with boys football as a varsity sport. These girls are great athletes. They're making unbelievable plays out there."
However, the work is not done with the official sanctioning of girls flag football. The Browns continue to their commitment of advancing the game of girls flag football and encourage schools to reach out and start of the team. Interested in starting a girls flag football team at your high school? Complete this questionnaire HERE so the Browns can share more information and outline next steps.
