From July 23-26th, the best girls’ flag football stars across 13 different countries attended Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana, ready to prove why they are the best of the best. 

The third annual NFL Flag Championships featured intense competition in every round. Each snap, throw, and flag pull came with extra pressure in a win or go home tournament. 

The girls’ age groups ranged from 10U through high school teams, all representing one of the 32 NFL teams. There was also one International group showcasing a 15U girls team from 12 different countries, including Mexico (who won), China, Australia, Great Britain, and many more.

But beyond just the field, this tournament showcased an important message that’s been there since the day NFL Flag was started: all girls can play football. On a global stage, every single girl who stepped onto the field proved why flag football is becoming one of the fastest growing sports for girls to join.

Increased VISibility from the Media

To improve the game, there needs to be more equality in who gets seen on television. Dedicated to increasing VISibility, Disney and ESPN placed this year's tournament at center stage. 

Over the entire tournament, all games were aired across various platforms, including:

• ESPN

• ABC

• ESPN2

• NFL Network

• Disney Channel

By not only airing these games for people with subscriptions to certain platforms or being selective, it increased the amount of people who were invested, specifically younger athletes. 

When young girls are able to watch these athletes compete at peak condition, it inspires them to be courageous and try to join a team. And most of all, it reminds them that there is nothing stopping them from playing football too.

High School Girls Championship Game Dramatics

One of the most highlighted age groups was the Girls’ High School tournament—which was aired entirely on ESPN. A highly anticipated competition, this age group kept fans on their toes until the very end.

The final was between the defending champions, Texas Fury, and the L.A. Seahawks. From the very first whistle, the game went back and forth with neither team willing to give up. 

With so much talent on both sides, it’s not surprising that the game ended in the most dramatic way possible: an overtime two-point game winning throw. After Texas went up by 1, quarterback Ava Ortman delivered a highlight-reel worthy pass to her teammate Mya Smith to seal the 15-14 win in overtime for the Seahawks. 

The most amazing part? The girls weren’t even sure they ran the right play. In a post game interview with Ortman and Smith, both girls admitted that the final pass might have been “drawn up on the spot” with Smith not being the original target. 

In the end, it was pure teammate chemistry that landed the ball in her arms to seal the win.

Completing the Road to 100

While the weekend was mostly about game-winning catches and fingertip flag pulls, it was also about a celebration of accomplishments happening off the field.

Started by the Indianapolis Colts, the Road to 100 was an effort to develop girls flag football as an official Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) sport. To be eligible, there needed to be at least 100 high schools competing. 

So in 2023, the Colts started the Colt’s Girls High School Flag Football League with 8 teams. After just a year, the league grew into 27 until it reached 78 teams in 2025. 

Then Colts created even more opportunities by investing nearly $1 million to sustain the launch of 100 girls teams. With schools being promised nearly $10,000 to join this effort, the popularity of girls flag football quickly spread across the state. Suddenly, schools didn’t have to worry about the costs of creating a team, which had previously kept them from starting programs in the past.

Now, the Road to 100 is completed after 108 Indiana high schools have established a flag football team, making it eligible for a IHSAA vote to make it official. 

By prioritizing the growth of girls flag football, the Colts set an important precedent that must be followed. When teams and communities commit to increasing infrastructure for the growth of women's sports, girls have an opportunity to grow the game not only themselves but also an entire generation of women athletes.  

"Girls flag football provides another pathway for girls to learn, play and love our great sport, as well as all the other opportunities and benefits that come from playing youth sports and being a part of a team," Kalen Jackson, Colts Owner & Chief Brand Officer said. 

“Girls flag football provides another pathway for girls to learn, play and love our great sport, as well as all the other opportunities and benefits that come from playing youth sports and being a part of a team. ”

Kalen Jackson, Indianapolis Colts Owner & Chief Brand Officer

The Future of Flag

This new generation of football is just beginning. It will be faster, stronger, and more competitive than ever before. And most of all, it will never stop growing.

This potential is best said by Brian Flinn, NFL SVP of Global Flag Football, that "the momentum behind girls flag football continues to accelerate, driven by the athletes themselves and supported by leaders who believe in expanding opportunity."

With the launch of flag football in the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, this tournament is just an introduction to the potential of women's flag football on the global stage. If support continues, it will continue to build a pathway from youth all the way to college. And hopefully one day, a professional league of its own.