Camryn Justice is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland.
BEREA, Ohio — Last week, Tennesee became the 10th state in the United States to make girls' flag football a state-sanctioned sport. On Tuesday, Colorado became the 11th. The sport has been growing exponentially over the past several years, led in part by the NFL and its 32 clubs. It's become such a global phenomenon it's been adopted as an Olympic sport, set to debut in the summer of 2028.
Dozens of teams across dozens of Northeast Ohio schools quickly formed rosters of girls who were eager to dedicate their time to the sport. At Berea-Midpark High School, the girls were quick to join the team and have poured themselves into the program. Players like Deionna Borders, who also joined the school's girls wrestling team the year it became a state-sanctioned sport, have the experience.
Without a sport being state-sanctioned, it can only truly function at a club level. Athletes can sign up and compete against other clubs, but their sport isn't recognized under the school's umbrella of programming or funding. There's no state tournament to play for or state titles to win for their schools."I think it would be awesome to have a state-sanctioned sport. I think it fills a void," Hunek said.
But the biggest driving force behind the push lies in Berea where athletes who had the opportunities to play their state-sanctioned sport in high school have gone on to become pros, to take the field any given Sunday and follow their passion onto the football field. The Cleveland Browns have made it a mission to see flag football reach that level for the youth here in Ohio.
Newsome shared the same sentiment, knowing the importance of a sport for an athlete and what having something to compete for at a higher level can mean to a player.
Northeast Ohio News Browns Cleveland Browns Flag Football Girls Flag Football Growing Sport Northeast Ohio Ohio Ohio High School Athletic Association
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