The Challenges for Girls HS Flag Football Quarterbacks

The Challenges for HS Girls Flag Football Quarterbacks

In 2025, girls' flag football is exploding across the United States and expected to grow exponentially. Participation jumped over 60% in a single year, with nearly 70,000 high school girls lacing up (or belting up) for the football! This is great news for football, not so good news for girls soccer, cheer, softball, etc. But this post is about Girls Flag Football!

States like California, Florida, Georgia, and New York lead the charge, backed by NFL grants, Olympic dreams for 2028, and a growing college pipeline. Having attended several world championships for girls flag football, I can tell you first hand, these ladies are killing it and sport is growing globally! This will be on full display at the 2028 Olympics. I am also friends with pro Girls flag players, and Girls HS flag coaches. These these ladies are laser focused and love the game!

Girls flag football at the HS level is fast-paced, and non-contact—perfect for showcasing speed, strategy, and skill over brute force. But don't think for a minute, it isnt physical. These young ladies are super aggressive, athletic, and leaving it all on the field. They love playing football!

With all that said, I want to address some issues on one position—the quarterback—and the story gets more complicated. The QB is the offense's brain, calling plays, reading defenses, and delivering pinpoint throws under pressure. For ladies stepping into this role, the challenges go beyond the 7-second rush clock or evading blitzers. They're battling a whole host of issues from stereotypes, limited resources, physical perceptions, and the sheer newness of the sport itself. However, the biggest issue I see at the QB position is a lack of effective positional coaching. So lets explore this whole thing a little further.

1. Breaking the "Boys' Club" Stereotype

Football, even flag, still carries baggage as a "male" domain. Many girl QBs start with zero football background—often crossing over from softball, soccer, or basketball—and face skepticism from day one.

One California high school QB admitted in an interview that when she tried out, she told herself she'd play any position, but "QB was the main one I really wanted... because I knew I could throw far and hard." Yet she had to prove it repeatedly. Boys (and sometimes even peers) question whether girls "belong" at the helm. As one player noted about reactions from male classmates: "What do the boys think of girls playing football?" The answers range from supportive to outright dismissive.

Vanita Krouch, captain and QB of the U.S. Women's National Team (often called the "Tom Brady of flag football"), speaks openly about paying it forward so little girls know "you can do it." But she, like many, had to shatter the idea that leadership on the field is gender-specific. I can personally attest to seeing these young ladies command the game and their team.

2. The Arm Strength Myth—and Accuracy—Debate

Flag football isn't about launching 60+-yard bombs; the field is shorter, routes are quicker, and precision matters more than raw power. Still, the stereotype persists that girls "can't throw like boys."

Reality? Many excel because flag rewards quick releases, touch, and decision-making over velocity. Softball pitchers often transition seamlessly—the overhand motion translates perfectly. One Warren High (CA) QB credited her softball background: "I figured my experience throwing a softball could be useful." Viral videos of teenage girl QBs rifling perfect spirals have NFL fans joking (half-seriously) about signing them.

The real issue isn't strength—it's perception. Girl QBs sometimes dial back their throws so receivers can catch them, or face comments that their arm is "too strong" for the girls' game. However, I will address what I see as "girl QB" issues at the bottom of this list.

3. The Blitz: No Pocket, No Mercy

Flag rules vary, but most give defenders a 7-second "rush clock" (or less) before they can cross the line. There's no offensive line blocking—only a center snapping the ball. The QB must diagnose coverage, progress through reads, and release—all while backpedaling from rushers.

As one guide puts it: "The quarterback position is often seen as the most challenging and celebrated role." Mobility, vision, and composure under chaos separate good from great. For newcomers (most girl QBs), mastering this in a brand-new sport is steep. Many teams are in their 1st–3rd year of existence, so playbooks (even organization offense and defense playbooks i.e. USA football, etc.) are very basic, and experience is scarce.

4. Lack of Coaching and Resources

This is a big one! Most coaches are male volunteers from the tackle side, or multi-sport athletes learning on the fly. In Minnesota's inaugural season, one school built a program from scratch with a PE teacher (who plays women's tackle) as head coach. Players practiced tossing footballs at lunch just to learn grips with the ball.

QB-specific training? Rare. Events like the Girls QB Challenge on Long Island or Gridiron Football camps help, but access is limited and many of these camps are of questionable effectiveness. Lastly, its difficult to go to a large camp and actually learn any core skills or fundamentals. This applies to boys and girls! Many girl QBs self-teach via YouTube or borrow from boys' programs—highlighting the resource gap. Again, I will address this at the bottom of this list.

5. Injuries, Multi-Sport Juggling, and Burnout

Flag is non-contact, but ACL tears (from cutting) and overuse injuries happen. One standout QB tore her ACL in club play right before senior season. Many QBs are elite in other sports—softball pitchers, soccer midfielders—balancing seasons is brutal. And in new programs, there's pressure to "represent" the sport perfectly. Lastly, again...there are really no organized / effective and targeted training to help these young ladies. Boys contact programs have organized and hopefully, targeted weight training programs to help football athletes avoid and reduce injuries. Girls flag sometimes lacks this. Some of the bigger programs in CA, TX, GA, FL, etc are more advanced.

6. The Bright Side: Why They Keep Coming Back

Despite the hurdles, girl QBs light up talking about the position. The cerebral side—calling audibles, dissecting defenses—is addictive. One Georgia QB threw for 58 TDs as a junior. Florida QBs routinely put up air-raid numbers (1,900+ yards in a season). And the camaraderie? Unmatched. Diana Flores, Mexico's superstar QB, says: "Flag football keeps showing us there are no limits. Dreams don’t have a gender."

Now, I want to address the biggest issues I see with girl QB's. FUNDAMENTALS and COACHING!

The big issue is fundamentals and coaching. Most girl QB's throw off their back foot because they are trying to use upper body strength to throw the ball with heat or depth (see image above). This is common with Boy Youth QBs and young HS QBs. If we don't tolerate this for Boy QB's why would we for girl QB's. Boy QB's get coached up on these issues. So should Girls! Girl QB's need to be coached on core rotation, hips, load, and proper throwing motion in general and from various throwing situations. This is critically important for success in the position and even more important for injury prevention. As if you didn't know this, Boys and Girls have different bodies, muscle structure, etc. thus different body mechanics and strength. If improper throwing mechanics and improper QB weight training can injure a Boy QB, it most certainly can injure a Girl QB. Perhaps more so.

Like the Boys, Girl QBs need to be coached up on all the key things Boys are as well as on how to throw on the run, shoulder placement, looking off the secondary, scramble and escape drills, 1 step pass, throwing on the run, over striding, footwork, NOT throwing off the back foot, and essentially the same stuff we coach up Boy QB's.

Too many young ladies are just not getting the effective and targeted positional coaching to help them stay safe, be effective and reach their potential which is limitless! I would also make this case for the receivers. Simply put, Girls are just not getting the positional skill coaching they need to be elite. This needs to change.

I will also point out the obvious in that there are unique physical skills needed for flag football that are very different than contact. Hips, short cuts, short routes, etc. Just repeating YouTube drills is just not effective if you want to succeed in this position. As mentioned above, there is a lack of effective coaching in Girls flag. Especially when it comes to the position fundamentals and performance. Just pulling out a USA Football Flag football play sheet is not going to cut it anymore. The game has evolved.

Tailored weight training, skills and drills, football IQ, how to properly run, positional performance, etc. are all keys to being successful. As I said, if we expect and demand this type of coaching for Boy contact players, why would we not expect and demand it for Girls flag players? The issue here is Girls don't have the well of "experienced" coaches that Boys do. This needs to and will change as the sport matures. Effective coaching needs to start at the youth and HS levels. To many, I know from speaking with them...Girl, pro/semi-pro and older players have had to wing it, watch YouTube, work with the guys, etc. Now its time for real coaching for the ladies.

The Future Is Female (and Throwing Dimes)

Girls' flag football QBs aren't just participating—they're redefining the position. With Olympic gold on the horizon, NAIA scholarships multiplying, NIL and D1 opportunities, and high school numbers skyrocketing, the challenges are real but temporary. Today's pioneers are tomorrow's coaches, pros, and role models.

If you are High School or College Girls Flag player in need of effective and targeted coaching at the QB, WR and DB position, please reach out. We would love to work with you and help you exceed your football goals and elevate your game.

LFG!

Coach David Frederick