HOUSTON, TEXAS — The UIL Legislative Council will consider a proposal to sanction girls flag football during a meeting on June 10 in Round Rock. Hannah McNair, vice president of the Texans Foundation, is advocating for the sanctioning of girls flag football.
The UIL requires established programs, widespread participation, and support from member schools across the state for sanctioning a new sport. Girls flag football participation in the Houston area increased from 18 teams three years ago to 152 teams this year. More than 270 girls flag football teams are projected to participate across Texas by 2027.
The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys are collaborating to promote girls flag football in Texas. They will host a championship tournament on June 13-14 to determine the state's first champions. Four teams from the Texans program will compete in the tournament. The Texans operate a She's Next girls flag football initiative.
The open forum for the June 10 meeting will begin at 8 a.m. and will be livestreamed. More than 20 U.S. states have sanctioned girls high school flag football. Approximately 40 NCAA schools fielded women's flag football teams in 2025. Girls flag football is scheduled to debut as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
"We're very confident that this can be done and we have the numbers to support it," McNair said. "We're leaning on the UIL, hoping that they'll recognize that flag football for girls is an opportunity that we should sanction in the state of Texas."
No independent assessment of Hannah McNair’s claims was available.