Colorado Children’s Hospital and Denver Broncos Study Girls Flag Football Health Benefits
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Before warm-ups, run a quick pit-stop gear check—have each player flash you their flags, belt, mouthguard and water bottle so you dodge that frantic halftime scavenger hunt (no pit crew required!).
Postgame Parents: I know you’re juggling a million things, so before homework time, lay socks on the floor like an agility ladder. Your kid gets in quick foot-shuffle drills between math problems, turning study breaks into sneaky speed and coordination gains!
Players Snap: If the corner overplays you, fake inside then rip back outside like you’re yanking off a clingy shirt tag—misdirection often wins you those extra yards.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 Children’s Hospital Colorado Partners with Denver Broncos Foundation to Study Physical, Mental Health of Female Athletes Playing Flag Football
Researchers at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Denver Broncos Foundation conducted a pilot study during the 2023–24 season to assess the physical and mental health benefits of flag football for female high school athletes, informing the Colorado High School Activities Association’s decision to sanction girls’ flag football for 2024–25. The study revealed higher activity levels and improved energy among participants compared to non-athletes, underscoring the sport’s potential to enhance adolescent female health and expand equitable opportunities in school athletics.
“Being able to contribute data that supports the growth of girls’ flag football highlights how clinical research can drive progress not just in medicine, but in our communities.”
🌍 Regional Roundup
Tennessee: Jackson State Community College will add women’s flag football to its intercollegiate lineup in Spring 2027, becoming Tennessee’s first two-year college to offer the sport, supported by a $5,000 NJCAA Foundation grant in partnership with NFL FLAG and RCX to expand opportunities for female student-athletes.
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Illinois (St. Viator): St. Viator High School will launch a girls flag football program for the 2025–26 season under the IHSA banner while discontinuing its girls field hockey team, aiming to engage new athletes and capitalize on the sport’s recent growth in the state.
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Minnesota: The Minnesota Vikings unveiled a mural at their museum celebrating the state’s inaugural high school girls flag football season and the 2025 Mahtomedi championship team, showcasing NFL backing and the sport’s rapid local uptake.
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Texas: The Dallas Cowboys ELITE Girls Flag Football program brings together North Texas’s top high school players for fully funded 5-on-5 tournaments at local, regional, and national levels, supported by the Cowboys and the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation to foster elite play and scholarship pathways ahead of flag football’s 2028 Olympic debut.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Arden Marchiorlatti – Junior Defender/Receiver for University High School Trojans. As a first team All-CIF and all-PCL selection, she led the PCL in interceptions and ranks in the top four in CIF and top 20 nationally, while also placing among the top three receivers in both the PCL and CIF.
“Marchiorlatti contributes significantly on both sides of the ball, leading the PCL in interceptions, ranking in the top four in CIF and top 20 nationally in that category. Offensively, she is among the top three in both the PCL and CIF for receiving,” coach Jeff Marchiorlatti said.
📈 Flag Growth Focus
⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
Jackson State Community College will field Tennessee’s first NJCAA women’s flag football team in Spring 2027 backed by a $5,000 grant from the NJCAA Foundation with NFL FLAG and RCX Sports.
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St. Viator High School will drop its girls field hockey program to launch an IHSA-sanctioned girls flag football team under coach and assistant AD Nick Sobieszczyk for the 2025–26 season.
👉 Read Full Article
The Minnesota Vikings unveiled a lobby mural at the Vikings Museum celebrating the inaugural high school girls flag football season and 2025 Mahtomedi state champions, with USA Football’s Maci Joncich in attendance.
👉 Read Full Article
The Dallas Cowboys and the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation have introduced the ELITE Girls Flag Football team as the official all-star squad for North Texas high school players to compete in local, regional and national tournaments.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.”
— Michael Phelps
