Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference adopts girls flag football as official sport
The Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference has officially adopted girls flag football as a sanctioned conference sport for the 2025-2026 school year, the conference commissioner’s office announced Monday. Girls flag football is a spring sport. “This moment is bigger than a game,” said Josh Hardin, CMAC commissioner and CPS district athletic director. “It’s about opportunity, equity…
The Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference has officially adopted girls flag football as a sanctioned conference sport for the 2025-2026 school year, the conference commissioner’s office announced Monday. Girls flag football is a spring sport.
“This moment is bigger than a game,” said Josh Hardin, CMAC commissioner and CPS district athletic director. “It’s about opportunity, equity and the future. Girls flag football is here to stay. I want to specifically thank the Cincinnati Bengals and Taylor Conklin for their continued commitment and unwavering support of CPS and the growth of girls flag football. Their partnership has been instrumental in making this a reality.”
Aiken’s flag football team talks during the Falcons’ 14-0 win over Western Hills Friday, April 4, 2025.
Girls flag football is the fastest growing high school sport in Cincinnati. Five area schools had teams in 2024, and that number rose to 20 in 2025. It’s likely that that number will continue to grow.
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“One of the best parts of this job is watching what was once just an idea between a few student-athletes turn into real opportunity. The growth and excitement around girls flag football has been amazing, to say the least, and I’m happy to have played a part in where we are now as an official CMAC sport,” said Chloe Mayfield-Brown, athletic administrator at Western Hills High School.
Last month, the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced that it will sanction a state championship event in the sport starting in the spring of 2026.
“This is actually really exciting,” said Mylah Case, an athlete at Woodward. “It feels good to know girls flag football is finally being taken seriously and getting the recognition it deserves. We’ve been putting in the work, and now we get to compete for something real. I’m proud to be a part of this program ‒ especially for this being my first year playing!”
Jabreel Moton, athletic administrator and coach at Woodward, said this is exciting for the girls.
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“Not many get to be the first ‒ and that can never be taken away. Watching our girls battle through tough conditions and still come back each week was inspiring. They created bonds, grew as students, and found motivation through this sport. Year one was special; I’m excited for what’s ahead,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference adopts girls flag football
