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On a frigid Friday night in November 2023, with a biting breeze rolling through Under Armour Stadium, two teams of high school girls faced off, vying to become the first Maryland high school flag football champion.
In partnership with the Frederick County school system and Under Armour, the Ravens had helped launch the first varsity girls flag football program in the state.
Ravens officials and administrators from school systems around the state lined the sidelines for the historic moment as Middletown High School won the game in double overtime.
More than two years later, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association has sanctioned girls flag football. It is the 19th state to sanction the sport, and it is the 26th championship sanctioned sport in the state.
“This achievement fulfills a vision we set in 2021 when we first approached the Baltimore Ravens regarding expanding female student-athlete opportunities through this initiative,” MPSSAA Executive Director Andy Warner said in a statement.
USA Football sent out a statement of congratulations.
“Maryland’s female student-athletes now have access to everything this game has to offer, from life skills and college scholarships to a real pathway toward competing at the international level,” Scott Hallenbeck, the CEO and executive director of USA Football, said in a statement.
Since that inaugural season, the program has expanded rapidly as county by county has bought in. The Ravens provided uniforms for each county and funneled in over $1 million. The Washington Commanders got involved, as well.
The 280 girls across the 10 teams who kicked off the initiative in 2023 are now joined by nine other counties and 122 other teams. The Ravens and Under Armour have stated their willingness to support any other counties that come on board.
The “state” championship in 2023, which originally featured just Frederick County participants, now is open to teams across Maryland. And it has graduated from Under Armour Stadium to M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens.
To commemorate the moment, the Ravens are hosting members of teams across the state on Day 2 of the NFL draft in Pittsburgh on Friday.
Their first season of girls football as an official high school sport will start in the fall.
“This is a significant day for both the Baltimore Ravens and the entire state of Maryland,” Ravens president Sashi Brown said in a statement. “... We set out to create meaningful and equitable opportunities for girls to participate in football across the state, and now, we are seeing that vision realized. We know that today’s young female athletes will be prepared to become tomorrow’s leaders.”
As the world prepares for the debut of flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the sport has grown at the collegiate level, as well. There are more than 100 colleges offering flag football.
“That kind of commitment to young women creates the foundation we need to find and develop the next generation of athletes for Team USA Football, and we are proud to play a role in what comes next for many of these young women, including the chance to one day represent their country when flag football makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028,” Hallenbeck said.
This article has been updated.
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