Arizona Cardinals become first NFL team to produce and air girls flag football

The NFL team has been heavily involved in the growth of flag football in Arizona in recent years. 

The Arizona Cardinals have become the first NFL team to produce and air a high school girls flag football game of the week. 

On Sept. 17, Hamilton High School bested Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix 48-14 in the game aired on Arizona’s Family. 

“It’s exciting to be a part of history and a part of breaking new barriers,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a press release. “We’re hoping not only with the live broadcast, but with the replays that will be happening on Arizona’s Family (network), this will be just an awesome opportunity.”

The NFL team has been heavily involved in the growth of flag football in the state in recent years. 

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Quarterback Kyler Murray took part in the coin toss for the first Arizona Interscholastic Association-sanctioned girls game in the state last year.

Arizona is now one of 13 states to offer flag football as a varsity sport, and over 100 teams in the state are participating. 

The team also announced this month it had built flag football fields outside of its home stadium in Glendale to be used for youth games. 

Flag football will debut at the Olympics in 2028, and Cardinals tight end Trey McBride sees it sticking around. 

“With the Olympics pulling it in, I think it could be a professional sport where girls are getting paid,” McBride said in a press release. “It’s just a matter of time.”

The team will continue broadcasting high school girls flag football games weekly on Tuesdays or Thursdays through Nov. 7.