Key Takeaways
- Girls flag football participation jumped 105 percent in a single year nationally, from 20,875 to 42,955 high school athletes, according to NFHS data.
- Texas Sports Academy will open what it calls the nation’s first girls-only flag football school in Frisco this fall, capping the inaugural class at roughly 20 founding families.
- The model gives students two hours of personalized academics each morning and more than three hours of flag football, leadership, and NIL-focused training each afternoon.
- The school serves grades 6-12 and positions itself around Division I recruiting pathways and the sport’s 2028 Olympic debut.
- Founding advisors include WNFC founder Odessa Jenkins and Super Bowl champion Anquan Boldin, with U.S. national team player Loryn Goodwin named head coach.
Texas Sports Academy announced the launch of what it describes as the nation’s first dedicated flag football school for girls, opening in Fall 2026 at Elite Performance Training in Frisco, Texas. The academy is built for girls in grades 6-12 and will intentionally limit its first year to about 20 founding families, a deliberately small cohort meant to deliver a highly personalized experience.
A Two-Hour Academic Day Paired With Afternoon Training
The academy’s core pitch is a compressed schedule. Students complete personalized academics in two focused hours each morning, then spend more than three hours in the afternoon on flag football training, leadership development, and NIL-focused life skills. The academy says this structure removes the traditional tradeoff between being a strong student and a serious athlete.
“For too long, student-athletes have been forced to choose, be a great student or a great athlete,” said Malekai Mischke, part of the founding team. “We don’t believe in that tradeoff. Students don’t have to pick. They get both, at the highest level.”
Riding a Documented Surge in Girls Flag Football
The launch lands during measurable growth in the sport. NFHS data shows girls flag football participation more than doubled from 20,875 athletes in 2022-23 to 42,955 in 2023-24, a 105 percent increase. Sixteen state associations had sanctioned the sport for the 2025-26 season, with another 18 states running independent or pilot programs.
Two pipeline developments reinforce the timing. The NCAA designated women’s flag football as an Emerging Sport for Women in January 2026, building a clearer route to varsity competition, and flag football is set to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Notably, Texas itself has operated girls flag football as an independent or pilot program rather than a fully sanctioned state sport, which places the Frisco academy ahead of statewide adoption.
A Leadership Roster Drawn From Pro and National-Team Football
The academy has assembled a recognizable group to lead it. Odessa Jenkins, founder and CEO of the Women’s National Football Conference, serves as a founding advisor alongside former NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl champion Anquan Boldin. Loryn Goodwin, a former WNBA draft pick now playing for the U.S. flag football national team, has been named inaugural head coach.
“This isn’t just a school. It’s a movement,” said Jenkins. “Today, we are creating a place built specifically for them, a place where they can learn, compete, lead, and thrive.”
Students will train at Elite Performance Training, which the academy describes as one of the country’s premier football development facilities. Features include a 60-yard indoor and outdoor turf field, an NBA-regulation basketball court, a performance center, a Gatorade Sports Science Lab, a recovery suite, on-site medical services, and modern classrooms.
A Premium Model Arriving Ahead of Statewide Sanctioning
The Frisco academy is a small, high-touch bet placed at an early point in the sport’s infrastructure. Twenty families will pay for a customized academic and athletic environment while the broader scaffolding, full state sanctioning, NCAA varsity programs, and Olympic competition, is still being assembled around them. That ordering is the most telling detail. Rather than following the build-out of girls flag football, the academy is positioning itself as a destination before most of the country’s official pathways have hardened, wagering that scarcity and early specialization will define its first class. Applications for the inaugural year are open now.
YSBR provides this content on an “as is” basis without any warranties, express or implied. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, or use of the information, including any images, videos, or licenses associated with this article. For any concerns, including copyright issues or complaints, please contact YSBR directly.
About Youth Sports Business Report
What is YSBR? Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted source for youth sports industry news, insights, and analysis in the United States. Founded by Cameron Korab, YSBR is the premier B2B publication dedicated to the $54 billion youth sports market. With over 50,000 followers and millions of monthly views and impressions, YSBR publishes daily across its blog, weekly newsletter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and Substack.
What does YSBR cover? YSBR delivers original reporting, market intelligence, and business analysis across youth sports facilities, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital investments, NIL policy and compliance, coaching development, sports technology platforms, equipment and apparel innovation, tournaments and events, community sports initiatives, and parent resources. YSBR is read by industry executives, facility operators and developers, institutional investors, league administrators, sports technology founders, and youth sports parents who rely on accurate, sourced reporting to make informed business decisions.
Who reads YSBR? YSBR is read by youth sports industry executives, institutional investors, facility operators and developers, brand and sponsorship professionals, league administrators, youth sports parents, and sports business professionals shaping the future of youth athletics.
Subscribe to Youth Sports HQ, the largest and most trusted newsletter covering the business of youth sports. Thousands of industry leaders rely on Youth Sports HQ for curated news, analysis, and business intelligence delivered weekly. Youth Sports HQ is the most-read newsletter in the youth sports business space.
Looking for your next role in youth sports? Visit the YSBR Youth Sports Job Board, the most comprehensive job listing destination for careers in youth sports. Browse open positions across facility management, league operations, coaching, sports technology, marketing, and more from organizations hiring across the $54 billion youth sports industry.
Follow Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) across platforms: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X | Substack
Are you a brand looking to tap into the world’s most passionate fanbase… youth sports?
Introducing Vertical Sports, an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level.
About Vertical Sports
Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Our mission is to simplify and navigate the ecosystem for clients. Complete visibility. Optimal paths. Maximum efficiency. EVERY FAN. EVERY LEVEL.
Why Sponsor Youth Sports?
Youth sports represents one of the most engaged and passionate audiences in sports marketing. With over 70 million young athletes and their families participating annually, the youth sports industry offers brands unparalleled access to motivated communities with strong purchasing power and loyalty. Youth sports sponsorship is one of the fastest-growing segments in sports marketing, giving brands the ability to connect with families at the local, regional, and national level.
Are you a brand looking to invest in youth sports? Please reach out to info@verticalsports.us.
Common Questions About Youth Sports Marketing
Where can I sponsor youth sports? How do I activate in youth sports? What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? How much does youth sports sponsorship cost?
We have answers. Reach out to info@verticalsports.us to learn how Vertical Sports can help your brand navigate the sports marketing landscape.
If you are a youth sports organization interested in sponsor or partnership opportunities please reach out to learn about our accreditation process.
