In a collaborative effort with the Washington Commanders, Fairfax County Public Schools  superintendent Michelle Reid and the rest of the FCPS school board are excited to announce a new high school sport for FCPS’s 2025-2026 fall season: girls flag football!

After successfully integrating boys volleyball and girls wrestling into high school sports rosters across FCPS, along with the growing nationwide popularity of the sport amongst female athletes, girls flag football has caught the attention of FCPS and the Washington Commanders. They are partnering with local high schools across Virginia, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and DC in order to get this sport on high school rosters. The introduction of girls flag football will ultimately offer students the opportunity to try new experiences. Prospective girls flag football athletes Ella and Charlotte Henderson are entirely new to the sport. “I think it’s cool that girls are getting a chance to play football, since it’s a male dominated sport. I’m just excited for it to be a thing,” said Ella Henderson.

The incorporation of new and diverse sports in FCPS has been a method of unifying all FCPS high schools, focusing on inter-school relationships, sportsmanship, and friendly competition. Oakton is playing a part in this, with discussions regarding its own flag football teams coming into effect. Games are predicted to officially begin in October, with playoffs in November. Practices are in talks to be an hour and a half long, occurring two times a week.

Overall, girls flag football has been a long time coming. “I’m pretty happy about it being a sport for FCPS because it allows girls to have an opportunity to play the sport…that they’ve seen their fathers watch, or their brothers play… it’s also just a fun sport in general,” says Meares.