Girls flag football in MN

They arrive in shifts.

Hour by hour, from 4 p.m. to nearly 10 p.m., a revolving group of 4th- to 12th-grade girls gather in the outfields of Edina’s baseball diamonds, flags clipped around their waists.

The sports complex’s lights flicker on by the time the high school girls arrive at 8:30 p.m., some already tired from a varsity soccer game that afternoon. By the time they leave, nearly 400 girls will have thrown footballs, snagged flags and run routes.

Momentum to legitimize the sport as an official high school extracurricular is being driven by students, parents, coaches and even NFL executives.

Minnesota is one of 18 states with pilot programs. It’s a solid start, but the MSHSL has not yet confirmed a date for potential official sanction of the sport.

For more on interest in girls flag football across Minnesota, click here to read this story on startribune.com.