The College Interscholastic League legislative council permitted the event of women flag soccer as a pilot program at its annual fall assembly Monday morning in Austin, additional establishing a path for the rising sport to turn into a sanctioned exercise in Texas public excessive faculties.
The pilot program is anticipated to start within the 2028-29 faculty yr and initially embody not more than two classifications. The timing of the season, competitors format and different logistical particulars have but to be decided. The choice follows years of advocacy from the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and college district leaders throughout the state. The game has continued to realize momentum nationally, with 25 states anticipated to have sanctioned women flag soccer by the autumn of 2027.
Commercial
The proposal handed Monday authorizes UIL employees to develop guidelines and tips with an implementation plan to be offered on the June 2027 legislative council assembly. This system would come with a state championship in every convention, with district, regional or different qualifying occasions.
Further assist for including the game emerged in a fall 2026 survey of Texas faculty district superintendents, which discovered that 52% of respondents from Class 5A and 6A faculties favored sanctioning women flag soccer. Moreover, 165 faculties indicated they already take part within the sport.
The council passing the proposal marks a major step towards bringing women flag soccer into the UIL’s athletics construction, however a number of choices stay earlier than competitors begins. Among the many key issues for UIL employees are the price of including a brand new sport, the construction of competitions, the timing of the season and the potential influence on different faculty actions. Availability of sport officers, taking part in fields and coaches have been additionally issues introduced forth in dialogue throughout Monday’s assembly.
UIL government director Jamey Harrison mentioned his employees would fastidiously consider all of that earlier than recommending when the game needs to be performed, which is probably a very powerful issue of all.
Commercial
“We are going to take into account all 12 months on the calendar,” Harrison mentioned. “From the time we begin the primary day of volleyball apply in early August till the final pitch of the state softball match on the finish of Could, there may be not a single day in between these two that there’s not a minimum of one workforce sport in course of.”
Harrison mentioned employees has heard recommendations for a fall season in addition to choices in early and late spring. Figuring out the perfect match would require additional analysis and enter from teams affected by the choice.
“I’ve heard late spring, I’ve heard early spring, I’ve heard fall – I’ve heard plenty of various things,” Harrison mentioned. “We’ll have to have a look at all of them and actually work with all the stakeholder teams to determine the place to finest match this, if in actual fact you guys tells us it is time to transfer ahead.”
In line with the Houston Texans – whose efforts have been spearheaded by chief neighborhood officer Hannah McNair – 96 Houston-area faculties are collaborating of their flag soccer program, which launched in 2023. McNair has been one of many main voices pushing for the UIL to sanction the game. She famous throughout the June legislative assembly that the Texans and Cowboys predict to have a footprint of greater than 270 faculties and practically 6,000 athletes of their applications by 2027.
Commercial
The UIL at present has 13 sanctioned sports activities. The latest one to be added was girls and boys water polo, which began as a pilot program in 2022 and was granted full-sanction standing in 2025.
Mandated shot clock coming
Along with the ladies flag soccer pilot program, the UIL additionally permitted a mandated 35-second shot clock for basketball, starting with Class 6A and 5A faculties in 2028-29. The choice to implement the rule – which has been deliberated for years – will add Texas to an inventory of 35 states which have adopted it.
The implementation might be carried out in phases, and will probably be optionally available for 6A and 5A faculties beginning in 2027-28 with obligatory standing coming the next yr. Faculties in 4A and 3A may doubtlessly add a shot clock in 2030-31, and 2A and 1A may comply with in 2032-33. The UIL said that the proposed schedule for implementation throughout the smaller classifications is tentative and could possibly be adjusted.
Commercial
Through the June legislative assembly, the athletics committee permitted a pilot program for the shot clock that will be optionally available for all classifications throughout the 2026-27 season. However that program additionally restricted the use to varsity tournaments and showcases with mutual settlement between coaches required.
Proposals for including a shot clock have been offered to the UIL way back to 2016, however with quite a few surveys carried out in recent times by the UIL and Texas Affiliation of Basketball Coaches, it is lastly gained sufficient assist with advocates arguing that it support participant growth and faculty readiness and snuff out stalling techniques. The Nationwide Federation of State Excessive Faculty Associations permitted the usage of shot clocks in 2021, leaving implementation choices as much as particular person states.
Dwelling-field benefit expanded
The UIL is increasing the usage of home-field or home-court benefit within the first spherical of the playoffs to volleyball, basketball, soccer and workforce tennis, in addition to to soccer groups in smaller classifications. Beneath the earlier guidelines, solely Class 6A and 5A soccer groups throughout the state may earn home-field benefit for the primary spherical of the postseason primarily based on their end within the district standings.
Commercial
The change will go into impact for the 2027-28 faculty yr.
Subscribe
There’s extra to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe as we speak for simply 25¢.
This text initially printed at UIL approves women flag soccer pilot program, eyes 2028-29 debut.
