CIF adds girls’ flag football as new sport

Friday Night Lights football games are nothing new to TPHS, or even to any traditional high school experience. While the boys football team has been widely recognized as a prominent and popular sport at TPHS, girls flag football is now being introduced to both the school, as well as the California Interscholastic Federation, or CIF.

As of Feb. 3, CIF has declared that girls flag football will become an official sport across high schools in California, hosting their season in the fall alongside boys football. The consideration of CIF sports is decided at the state level. Sports are certified through the state and divided into skill divisions.

The San Diego Section of CIF unanimously supported the addition, and anticipates an involvement of a total of 50 teams in high schools across San Diego County.

Meetings are currently being held by the administration at TPHS, including Principal Rob Coppo, to approve the sport at the school site level, and Coppo ultimately has the authority to decide whether or not to approve the sport to be put into play at TPHS.

“I would be crazy not to run it,” Coppo said. “My role would be to rubber stamp it and say yes, we’re going to go forward. For a school like Torrey not to have girls flag football is crazy.”

The team is required to have an equal amount of funding as every other sport at TPHS through donations made to the TPHS Foundation. Coppo not only predicts a successful start to the new team, but booming popularity among the student body.

“Flag football has taken off nationwide, even for the pro bowl,” Coppo said. “Even the NFL has flag football now as part of what they do.” Despite running alongside other major fall sports at TPHS such as tackle football and volleyball, girls flag football is expected to gain tremendous popularity on campus.

According to Coppo, many athletes joining the team will be TPHS students that are already involved in spring sports. Mia Mosebrook (11) plays for the TPHS girls lacrosse team in the spring, but is hoping to get involved in flag football during her off-season.

“This will be my first year not having a fall sport,” Mosebrook said. “When I found out [flag football] was coming for the fall, I thought it was such a fun way to get my friends to play and to stay active and in shape for lacrosse season.”

While the excitement around a new girls’ sport evolves, there are some contrasting opinions by other female athletes. The girls rugby team is not a school-sponsored sport, but allows for girls to play a sport parallel to football. By not being sponsored by the school, club teams like girls rugby are not officially recognized as TPHS sports.

“I think by recognizing flag football as a CIF sport, they should at least consider rugby,” Zeena Al Bachachi (12) a member of the girls’ rugby team said. “Rugby has been around longer. People have won awards and gotten scholarships.”

As for the blend of athletes from other girls sports teams who will play flag football, Al Bachachi’s predictions include the idea that the team will consist of varying skills from athletes of other teams. The majority of female athletes, as well as Coppo, believegirls flag football will be incorporated wellin to the TPHS sports culture and skyrocket in popularity come its official introduction to TPHS.