On Nov.  17 2023, an email announcing the arrival of a girls flag football team at Joliet West was sent out. According to the notification, it will officially be an IHSA Activity in the 2024-2025 school year. A survey sent to freshman, sophomore, and junior female students was shared for interest.

Flag Football has been an upcoming sport and it is a sport where the defense team must remove a flag belt from the ball carrier. Many states have sanctioned flag football as an official girls’ high school sport. In 2022, it was named the fastest growing sport, due to an increase in interest.

In the U.S alone,  around 470,000 young women and girls between ages 6-17 participated in flag football. As flag football continues to make its way throughout the country we see it also expand to places around the world, as an estimated 100 countries play as well. This is an exciting announcement for all athletes, and even non athletic girls who want to play this sport. It will truly be exciting to see the many opportunities it opens for all girls who attend Joliet West.

“I think that it’s a great thing that more sports opportunities are opening for girls not just at West, but all over the country. I look forward to possibly playing flag football next year and I hope many others are too,” said freshman Gabby Rosas. Mr. Marcum, Assistant Principal for Student Services, said that the starting of a JTHS girls flag football team was “necessitated by the emergence of intramural Girls Flag Football at a growing number of schools in the state of Illinois.” It was decided that students would be in favor of this decision suggested by a survey sent out early this year.

According to Marcum, as of Nov. 21, 115 responses showed a majority would be interested in participating. There is expected to be one main team (rather than separating by freshmen, junior varsity, varsity), and season length has not yet been determined. Details will continue to be confirmed by IHSA.