FARGO — Two years after Concordia College began a women’s flag football team with the assistance of the Minnesota Vikings, high school girls along the Red River will have a similar opportunity.
The Fargo Park District announced Monday, Feb. 23, that it is teaming up with the NFL club to launch flag football for girls in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area. It will be the first flag football of its kind for girls in grades 9-12 sponsored by the Vikings in North Dakota.
“We’re super excited,” said Susan Faus, the executive director of the Fargo Park District. “I think the program aligns with our mission of growing community through places, spaces, and experiences, and really when it comes to helping youth find a place where they can really thrive, and that’s what we’re excited about with this partnership.”
The league will consist of eight weeks, including once-a-week practices, with six regular-season games and playoffs all taking place on the multi-use turf field inside the Fargo Parks Sports Center in south Fargo. Games, beginning on April 26, will be played on weekends; the first four on Sundays and the final two on Saturday, May 30, and Saturday, June 6.
Flag football is a noncontact sport and “tackles” are made by removing a ballcarriers’ flag which is attached to them. A sport rising in popularity already, flag football will debut in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles for men and women.
“As flag football continues to grow nationwide, it’s important that girls have access to organized, high-quality opportunities to play,” said Brett Taber, vice president of social impact with the Minnesota Vikings. “This program is an important step in expanding girls flag football throughout the region and building a foundation for future growth.”
The collegiate version is expanding from seven to nine teams this season in Minnesota, said Emily Weinberg, coordinator for youth and high school football with the Vikings. The long-range goal, she said, is to have the Fargo-Moorhead participants become teams tied to their respective schools.
“I know that with registration, we’re encouraging that girls can register with friends, with classmates or just register as an individual, and then they’ll get placed on a team,” Faus said.
The registration deadline for the Fargo-Moorhead area players is April 1. Practices begin April 13. Playoffs are set to begin May 30.
Teams will consist of a minimum of 10 players, with a capacity for up to eight teams. Registration is $50 per participant with full-coverage scholarships available for eligible athletes.
Space is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis and a waitlist will be offered if necessary.
Participants looking for more information and registration details can visit
FargoParks.com/youth-programs/high-school-girls-flag-football
.
The Fargo Park District is also seeking coaches to support the league. Those interested can learn more at
.
A turf area inside of the new Fargo Parks Sports Center, pictured on Thursday, May 23, 2024, is planned to be used for multiple sports and practices.
Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum
“Across the country, the interest and the number of programs offered for girls flag football is growing so fast,” Faus said. “So I think we anticipate that there’s going to be a lot of interest in getting started with the program. But with any new program that you start, it’s going to take some time to really grow and develop.”
Faus said offering high school-level flag football through the park district is just the beginning. She said the Vikings reached out to the school district first before the park district got involved. Fargo Parks offers youth flag football programming already.
“We work pretty closely with the schools and again, this is something that North Dakota wide, if they’re looking at growing it as a sanctioned sport, it might take some time,” Faus said. “So we thought what a great way for the park district to help and get it started and launch this new program for girls in the area.”
The program has taken off after two seasons in Minnesota, which now will have 104 schools participating. Last year, 51 high schools in Minnesota had teams with the Vikings contributing $600,000 to support expansion efforts, the team said.
Minnesota held its second-annual high school girls flag football state championship last June at TCO Stadium, the training field of the Vikings in Eagan. Twelve teams qualified for the championship rounds in what is currently a non-sanctioned sport in Minnesota.
Flag football is sanctioned as a varsity sport in 17 states,
, with nearest states being Illinois and Colorado. The Vikings are also expanding into the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area, Weinberg said.
A year ago, the National Federation of State High School Associations published its first national rules for high school flag football, the 18th sport it oversees. It was the NFHS’s first rulebook issued since boys lacrosse in 2000.