The San Francisco 49ers are committed to increasing opportunities for all youth in the game of football, and with the team’s support, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) on Friday unanimously approved a motion to make flag football for girls a statewide varsity sport close.
“We are thrilled with the results of the CIF vote sanctioning girl flag football as a college sport in California,” said 49ers President Al Guido. “This will increase opportunities for girls on and off the field.”
CIF’s move will make flag football an official sport for girls in the upcoming 2023-24 school year. California is now joining a growing list of states that have included girls’ flag football in high school athletic programs, such as Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and New York.
“California is the youngest and largest state to pass the initiative,” said Tucker Baksa, senior manager of the 49ers PREP. “Hopefully there will be more because it’s not enough.”
At the school level, girls’ participation in flag football has increased exponentially in recent years. In 2021, the NFL and Nike created a $5 million grant for the sport, and the organization of the 49ers has supported girls in sports in a variety of ways.
49ers PREP has a THINK Gold! Conference, an event for women high school athletes focused on supporting young women in their athletic endeavors and giving them insight into careers in professional sports. The conference, which has been running since 2009, has served over 600 high school students and athletes.
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