First all-girls flag football game in Roaring Fork Valley played between Aspen and Glenwood Springs
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The girls flag football movement is real, and the momentum is now being felt locally. On Friday, the 10U Aspen squad hosted Glenwood Springs A in the first all-girls flag football game in the Roaring Fork Valley.
“These girls are blazing the trail for generations to come and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Wes Campbell, a coach and parent of two players in Glenwood Springs, which launched its co-ed league in the fall of 2022.
“Since then, it has quickly become one of our most popular youth programs, offering a fun, accessible and inclusive environment for athletes of all experience levels,” said Nick Adams, the athletics supervisor for Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation. “This season, for the first time, we have enough participation to introduce all-girls matchups alongside our traditional co-ed league, marking a significant step forward in the growth of the program.”
Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, particularly for girls. Participation grew 63% from 2019 to 2023 for girls ages 6 to 17. The National Federation of State High School Associations reported 68,847 girls played high school flag football in 2024-2025, a 60% increase over the prior year.
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A game of girls youth flag football is played on Friday, April 24, 2026, on Lower Moore Field in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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A game of girls youth flag football is played on Friday, April 24, 2026, on Lower Moore Field in Aspen. (Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times)
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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A game of girls youth flag football is played on Friday, April 24, 2026, on Lower Moore Field in Aspen. (Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times)
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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A game of girls youth flag football is played on Friday, April 24, 2026, on Lower Moore Field in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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A game of girls youth flag football is played on Friday, April 24, 2026, on Lower Moore Field in Aspen. (Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times)
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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A game of girls youth flag football is played on Friday, April 24, 2026, on Lower Moore Field in Aspen. (Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times)
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
In April 2024, Colorado became the 11th state to make girls flag football a sanctioned high school sport. As of this writing, 17 states have sanctioned leagues and 22 more are hosting pilot programs. Further, over 100 colleges and universities offered women’s flag football across the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA during the spring 2025 season. Flag football will also be included in the 2028 Olympics.
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In Colorado, there are 30 4A and 33 5A schools currently participating in CHSAA’s girls flag football league. Mountain View won the first 4A title in 2024 and The Classical Academy captured the state title last fall. Mountain Vista is the two-time defending 5A state champions.
NFL Flag — with over 1,600 teams serving roughly 620,000 athletes in all 50 states — supports youth flag football programs across the country. Adams oversees the Glenwood Springs program, which offers five co-ed age divisions ranging from ages 5 to 15. The youngest division (ages 5-6) has four teams while the largest division (ages 9-10) contains 11 squads. This spring, over 370 athletes from across the Roaring Fork are participating in Glenwood Springs, Adams said.
“Aspen also operates a separate program, and we have coordinated this season to provide all-girls game opportunities,” he added.
There are three Glenwood Springs all-girls teams (10U A, 10U B, 13U) and two Aspen squads (10U, 13U). Adams said four additional all-girls games are scheduled for the coming weeks. Campbell said Friday’s inaugural 5-on-5 contest was “something special.”
“The joy of the girls was something to witness,” he stated.
“This game is an exciting moment not just for our program, but for youth sports in our community. Seeing enough interest to create all-girls competition speaks to the growth of the game and the opportunities now available to young athletes,” Adams added. “We are proud to provide a program where kids can learn the game, build confidence and simply enjoy being part of a team.”
