On Saturday, May 17, hundreds of girls from Austin Independent School District (AISD) kicked off the school district's inaugural flag football tournament at Burger Stadium.

The tournament, which consisted of squads from a dozen AISD high schools, got the league started on a good note, according to AISD senior media relations specialist JJ Maldonado.

"We had over 225 girls out on the field," adds league organizer and area athletic coordinator Crystal Victorino. "This has been an incredible experience so far."

Flag football has been growing in popularity in recent years, particularly amongst female players at youth and high school levels. This is in part due to the NFL itself, which has quietly been working on the sidelines since 2016, encouraging girls to play flag football. In fact, the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott partnered with AISD and 11 other Texas school districts earlier this year to create this girls' flag football league.

"[The Cowboys] have been vital to the success and growth of girls flag football throughout the state of Texas, so partnering with such big advocates, who are aligned with our AISD Athletics mission to advance gender equity and representation, just made perfect sense," says Victorino.

Organizers hope that playing the sport will teach girls lessons beyond the field and might lead to some professional opportunities in the future.

“The life lessons and values these young ladies will learn from the game of football extend well beyond touchdowns and teamwork,” Dallas Cowboys co-owner and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones said in a press release earlier this year. “We are also thrilled that with girls’ flag football becoming an emerging sport at the collegiate level, the game can now provide these young women a path to continuing their education at a higher level as well.”

Even though this league isn't yet recognized by Texas' University Interscholastic League (UIL) as an official high school sport, flag football's growing popularity nationwide may mean that it may be someday soon. It's now a varsity sport in 14 states and at more than 50 colleges and universities, including Austin's Concordia University Texas. Plus, men's and women's flag football is set to debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Ashley Deleon and Annalie Barrientos at the tournament. Photo by JJ Maldonado

"It means a lot to me," says sophomore Annalie Barrientos from Travis Early College High School, who played in the tournament on Saturday. "I think it's cool that we're out here practicing, trying to learn a new sport."

Another sophomore from Travis Early College, Ashley Deleon, says, "[This] means everything. I feel like it'll help us expand out, get women their opportunities, get girls to play, and show what they can do."

Deleon says she got interested watching the boys play football for their school, and always used to be on the sidelines cheering for them. But now, "they're cheering for us," she says. "That's what motivated me to play."

Up next for AISD girls' flag football are the playoffs, taking place May 23 at Burger Stadium at 5:30 pm.

"We would love for more of the community to come out and support our girls in this new sport," says Victorino.

For AISD girls who missed their chance to participate this year, Victorino says they should show up and try out next year. More information about next year's season will be released with the start of the new school year.