Updates

See the full op-ed on inquirer.com.

This month, the organization that sanctions sports in Pennsylvania took the first step to approving something that I believe could be a game-changer for girls across the state: flag football.

Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, especially among young women. Unlike traditional American football, there is no tackling allowed; instead, players wear flags that hang at their sides, and the person holding the ball gets “downed” when an opposing player pulls off one of their flags. It requires barely any equipment, and can be played on nearly every surface, any type of field or gym.

If the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association continues to show its support, high school girls’ flag football could become a varsity sport in the Keystone State as early as 2026. When that happens, players no longer have to leave school to join a recreational or travel club; they can play flag football at school, and take advantage of all the opportunities that come with competitive varsity sports.

For girls, flag football is more than just a sport. It is an opportunity. It’s about equity. Access. Permission to dream big. It is now an Olympic sport, and will make its debut at the 2028 games in Los Angeles.

And, for me, it hits home.

My love for football started in the youth leagues outside Trenton, N.J., and Philadelphia. As a standout at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Bucks County, many colleges offered me an athletic scholarship. My choice was Wisconsin, where I played well enough to get selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. My playing experience eventually came full circle when I signed with the Eagles in 1996, and it’s been a tremendous blessing to still be part of the game as a league executive.

Compare my story with another Pennsbury graduate: My oldest daughter, Desiré.

She also excelled in youth football — flag football. By the time she got to high school, Desiré had dropped the sport — not by choice. Opportunities for girls to play varsity football were extremely rare, and exclusively tackle football, in the early 2000s. College scholarships? Competition at elite levels?Nonexistent.

Times have changed.

Flag football opens doors to people who’ve historically wanted to play football but couldn’t, including girls, women, people with disabilities, and anyone who can’t afford all the equipment required for the full-contact version of the sport. I say this all the time: Flag football is football for all.

The sport’s unique accessibility is the main reason it has exploded worldwide, to more than 20 million participants in over 100 countries — including about 500,000 girls under the age of 17 in the U.S, a 63%increase from the number who played in 2019.

Imagine how many thousands more young women would have been included if only their schools offered the opportunity to compete.

So far, less than a dozen states have sanctioned girls’ flag football.

The NFL and its clubs are all in. Together, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers have helped fund pilot programs and generated enough buzz to establish more than 100 high school teams across Pennsylvania, meeting a key requirement for sanctioning. For the first time this May, girls’ flag football will be part of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association’s Big 33 Classic in Mechanicsburg — a legendary showcase known as “The Super Bowl of High School Football.”

That’s incredible progress in a very short period of time.

Let’s make it official. Pennsylvania’s high school girls deserve the opportunity to play varsity football. With more college programs launching each year, they deserve to be in the mix for recruiting campaigns and athletic scholarships. They deserve representation in a sport that will be center stage at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — and a shot to make our national team’s roster.

They deserve to learn teamwork, communication, and leadership skills that will benefit them as adults in professional careers.

The sport of football — and the experiences afforded to me as a youth outside Philadelphia — put my life on an incredible path. My daughter Desiré has made a name for herself in her own right, though outside of football.

It’s my hope that the opportunities Desiré could not chase on the gridiron, simply because they didn’t exist, will soon be available to young women statewide.

Let’s give Pennsylvania’s girls the chance to write a different story — one that unfolds on their terms.

Troy Vincent Sr. is the executive vice president of football operations for the National Football League, a graduate of Pennsbury High School and a member of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame. He also serves as co-chair of Vision28, leading flag football’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.