Illinois hosts girls flag football finals with Bears’ support

VILLA PARK, Ill. - Players are preparing to take the field for the Inaugural IHSA Girls Flag Football State Finals.

The event runs through Saturday, with the first of four games already underway Friday.

These finals mark a significant milestone in Illinois, as the sport has been growing since 2021, when the Chicago Bears partnered with Chicago Public Schools to launch girls flag football. 

Earlier this year, the Illinois High School Association officially recognized it as a state-sanctioned sport.

The first game features Fremd High School against Evanston High School.

Quarter-finals take place Friday night at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, with the semi-finals set for Saturday.

Across Illinois, there are about 200 girls flag football teams.

It's not just high school girls getting in on the fun – the Chicago Bears also hosted a clinic Friday afternoon for middle school girls. 

As school let out in the area, dozens of middle schoolers gathered to learn more about flag football and learn some skills. 

Gustavo Silva, the manager of the Chicago Bears Youth & High School Football, was the one to really bring this sport to the state four years ago. 

"We believed in it and we told everybody that it was a matter of time. I met with, probably hundreds of athletic directors, and I always told them all the same thing, that if they had girls in their school, it would just be a matter of time before they had a girls flag football team," Silva said.

Tickets for the semi-finals will be priced at $11 each.