Maeve Zinkel goes for a big run while Ellie Reddin pulls her flag in a September game in Edina. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minnesota’s most widespread and organized push for girls flag football is coming this spring.

A new regional college league will kick off in April, followed by an expanded Minnesota high school league running late April through June.

The local flag football pipeline is backed by the Vikings and sizably grows the reach of the four-team high school tournament they played host to last June.

“It’s really important that [opportunities] are grown in parallel to capitalize on the existing interest [and] to give girls an opportunity to aspire to something, to see that next level,” said Joe Rush, Vikings youth and high school football manager.

Half a million girls ages 6-17 played flag football in 2023, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, but in Minnesota, the sport had topped out mostly at the recreation level, with few scholastic opportunities at high schools or colleges.

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