INDIANAPOLIS — On Sunday afternoon, Jalaila White stood on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"That was one of my best moments," said White.
White plays flag football at Arsenal Tech. She was there for a major announcement by the Indianapolis Colts and Jim Irsay family.
"It’s really cool. I really like how they are paving the way for all the girls," said White.
The Colts and Irsay family are investing $1 million to support the development of girls' high school flag football as a fully sanctioned Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) sport.
The first step to becoming an IHSAA-sanctioned sport is to earn designation as an “emerging sport,” which requires 20 participating schools. Currently, there are 27 participating schools.
To become eligible as a fully sanctioned IHSAA sport, 100 member schools must compete while in “emerging sport” status.
"We want to create more and more opportunities. There are 13 states throughout the country now that have girls flag football sanctioned as a varsity sport and we want to continue upon that momentum," said Andy Matis, the senior manager of football development with the Colts.
To reach this goal, the Colts are launching the “Road to 100” campaign to support and sustain the launch of 100 girls' high school teams.
Costs associated with launching a team typically range from $5,000 to $8,000 to fund equipment, uniforms, training, and coaching stipends. To help offset that cost, the Colts will invest up to $10,000 each in the next 75 schools that commit to fielding a team in 2025.
Over the next several months, the Colts will engage with school leaders, athletic directors, parents, and others interested in supporting the sport, as well as with football fans as presenting sponsor of the IHSAA State Finals later this month, to spread the word about this unique funding opportunity.
