WIAA sanctions girls flag football; advisory vote on girls sports eligibility fails to gain 60 percent approval

The WIAA has officially sanctioned girls flag football as a high school sport in Washington and updated several eligibility rules, while a controversial advisory vote narrowly failed.

An advisory vote saying participation in girls sports is only for biological females comes up one vote short of 60-percent threshold

Girls flag football is coming to Washington high school sports, but maybe not everywhere in the state, at least in the beginning stages.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Representative Assembly voted to pass seven amendments this month, including a new sanctioned sport: girls flag football.

There also will be new language, and rules, regarding athletes who transfer schools.

One of the more newsworthy amendments that did not pass was the advisory vote stating participation in girls’ sports would be limited to biological females. Of the 53 votes, 31 supported that position, but the advisory vote failed by one because an amendment requires 60 percent approval.

Another advisory vote, adding a separate category beyond boys and girls — an open division — failed.

Mick Hoffman, the executive director of the WIAA, said the association’s message continues to be the same in regard to transgender athletes: The WIAA is committed to following Washington state law. If the state law changes in the future, Hoffman said, the WIAA Executive Board holds the authority to revise the policies. And now the board has input from its membership on how to proceed.

As far as girls flag football, a lot of details must be finalized. The sport likely will hold its championships in the spring, but the regular season could be played in the fall, winter, or spring, depending on where one lives. That is similar to golf and tennis in Southwest Washington. A lot has to deal with the availability of turf fields and weather conditions. So flag football in Southwest Washington might take place at a different time than in Spokane, Hoffman said.

Also, there is no assurance that every school district will offer flag football, at least in the early years.

In Clark County, athletic administrators said they are in the early stages of determining what girls flag football would look like in the region, as far as offering it next school year, and when to play the sport.

“I am incredibly thankful for the membership’s hard work throughout this amendment cycle,” Hoffman said. “The WIAA is excited to welcome a new activity to the association. We’re thankful for the Seattle Seahawks … for their leadership in helping bring Girls Flag Football to this point, and we look forward to continuing that partnership as the sport grows statewide.”

The membership also approved a significant change to transfer eligibility rules. After establishing initial eligibility at a high school, students may now transfer one time during their four-year high school career, but only within designated transfer windows. The WIAA stated this is not a “transfer portal.” Furthermore, a student-athlete who transfers would be ineligible for 40 percent of the sport’s next varsity season.

To see a list of all the passed and failed amendments, and the number of members who supported or opposed, go to: