Columbia High School is moving forward with planning to offer Girls’ Flag Football as a new interscholastic sport in the spring. Columbia Athletic Director Ryan Jones brought a proposal to the Board of Education at its public meeting on Wednesday evening, which was supported unanimously.
Columbia would join 11 other Suburban Council schools who have already committed to starting Girls’ Flag Football this spring.
The new sport would tentatively include 10-12 league games and a Suburban Council or Section 2 Playoff Tournament with the winner advancing to the State Tournament. Girls’ Flag Football is a sanctioned sport by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
A survey sent to students this fall indicated 33 students from grades 7-12 would be interested in participating in Girls’ Flag Football.
With the school board’s support, Mr. Jones will continue planning for the new sport which includes working with the other athletic directors, hiring a head coach and assistant coach, purchasing equipment and offering tryout information to interested students.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Columbia to join up with the other schools in the Suburban Council to offer this quickly growing sport,” Mr. Jones said. “Many schools across the state have added Girls’ Flag Football teams for this newly sanctioned NYSPHSAA offering. I thank the school board for their support as we bring Girls’ Flag Football to the Suburban Council and Section 2.”
Funding to help offset costs is being provided in the form of a grant from the New York Giants ($30,000 to the Suburban Council to be divided equally among all participating teams this spring) and other organizations.
More information about Girls’ Flag Football will be shared as it becomes available.