HOUSTON – Today, the Houston Texans announced the expansion of their Girls Flag Football Program to more than 80 high schools across Houston and Texas. Now in its third season, the program includes all 25 Houston ISD high schools, as well as high schools in Fort Bend ISD, Alief ISD, Stafford ISD and Texas Charter Schools in the Houston area. The program has also expanded to multiple high schools in Austin and El Paso.
"We are so proud to expand our Girls Flag Football Program to even more schools in H-Town and now across Texas," Vice President of the Houston Texans Foundation Hannah McNair said. "Our ultimate goal is to create access to girls flag for all girls who want to play and help make Texas the next state to sanction the sport. The bonds girls create and the lessons learned through flag are invaluable, and we look forward to continuing to grow the game for the next generation of female athletes."
More than 2,000 high school female student-athletes are competing in a six-week season this spring. The Houston-area championship games will be held at the Houston Methodist Training Center in mid-May. The Austin and El Paso programs will host their championships May 21 and 22.
In support of the girls participating in this year's league, McNair and the Houston Texans Foundation gifted all participants with "She's Next" customized headgear, headbands and mouth pieces. The athletes will wear the GameBreaker AURA protective headgear during practices and games.
"With the student-athletes' safety as a top priority, we are thrilled to be the first organization to provide this unique equipment statewide for girls flag football," McNair added.
Houston Methodist is the Texans' Girls Flag Football Program's first community partner, focusing on health and safety by supporting many of the team's key flag initiatives, including the Girls Flag Jamboree, Girls Flag College Showcase, Building and Uplifting Ladies in Leadership (B.U.L.L.) Panel, among others. The headgear provided to the girls aligns with Houston Methodist's longstanding commitment to concussion education and awareness. Since 2012, their concussion center has helped ensure that preventative measures and treatments reach a wide population throughout the region.
The Texans launched their Girls Flag Football Program in 2023 to help create equitable opportunities for young female athletes. Earlier this year, the team hosted its 2nd annual Girls Flag College Showcase, where more than 100 high school girls flag players had the chance to show off their skills for collegiate flag football coaches. "She's Next" is the Texans' women's empowerment campaign for their Girls Flag Program.
For more information, visit www.HoustonTexans.com/girlsflag.
