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NCHSAA Board approves flag football scheduling and conference updates
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NCHSAA Board approves flag football scheduling and conference updates

Posted: 6/26/2026, 1:50:18 PM

The N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors approved a series of operating rules for the upcoming inaugural season of girls flag football. The sport was recently approved for sanctioning at the board’s spring meeting on May 6. The sport is set to begin competition this fall.

Per the approved scheduling limitations approved by the board, the 2026 flag football season will have a limit of 18 regular season games for any participating programs. There can be no more than two games per day and no more than four games per week — provided the fourth single game is scheduled on a non-school day.

In the official NCHSAA 2026-27 sports operating calendar released earlier this week, the first practice date for flag football was set for Aug. 31. The first contest date will be Sept. 9 with state playoff seeding set for Oct. 28 — meaning the regular season will run just seven weeks. That would call for an average of two or three games per week.

The first and second round of the state playoffs will take place on Saturday, Oct. 31. The third and fourth rounds will take place on Nov.7. The regional finals are set for Nov. 11 with the inaugural state championships on Nov. 14.

Among the approved scheduling by the board was a dead period for flag football, which will run from July 29 to Aug. 18. It was noted that skill development can occur before July 29, but must be paused during the dead period. Development can then continue from Aug. 19 to the first practice on Aug. 31.

The final operational decision impacted conference alignment for the sport. The NCHSAA has opted not to place schools in distinct flag football conferences. Instead, the schools will compete in their current conference structures. 

That is a deviation from the association’s conferences for lacrosse, which are distinct from the typical alignment due to lower participation amongst member schools. However, given the decision to factor out conference championships in RPI and playoff bracketing, the need for a conference structure is less evident for flag football.

For this reason, many schools — particularly those that play in conferences with one or two flag football programs — would fill the majority of their schedules with non-conference games.