North Dakota Launches First Girls Flag Football With NFL's Help

The Minnesota Vikings are sponsoring the first high school girls flag football league in the state.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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The Fargo Park District has announced the launch of the first high school girls flag football league in North Dakota, with the Minnesota Vikings providing sponsorship and support. The league will have an 8-week season with once-a-week practices and 6 regular season games, followed by playoffs.

Why it matters

This new girls flag football league represents an important step in expanding organized, high-quality opportunities for girls to play the sport, which continues to grow in popularity nationwide. The Vikings' involvement also aligns with their efforts to bring girls flag football to other states in the region.

The details

The league will be open to girls in grades 9-12 in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area, with games taking place at the Fargo Parks Sports Center. Over 100 schools will participate in girls flag football in Minnesota this year, more than double the previous year's number. Flag football is now sanctioned as a varsity sport in 17 states, and will make its debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

  • The league will begin on April 26, 2026 and run for 8 weeks.
  • In 2025, the National Federation of State High School Associations published its first national rules for high school flag football.

The players

Fargo Park District

The organization that announced the launch of the new girls flag football league.

Minnesota Vikings

The NFL team that is sponsoring and supporting the new girls flag football league in North Dakota.

Susan Faus

The Fargo Park District executive director who expressed excitement about the new program.

Brett Taber

The vice president of social impact with the Minnesota Vikings, who said the program is an important step in expanding girls flag football.

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What they’re saying

“We're super excited. I think the program aligns with our mission of growing community through places, spaces and experiences, and really when it comes to helping youth find a place where they can really thrive, and that's what we're excited about with this partnership.”

— Susan Faus, Fargo Park District executive director (inforum.com)

“As flag football continues to grow nationwide, it's important that girls have access to organized, high-quality opportunities to play. This program is an important step in expanding girls flag football throughout the region and building a foundation for future growth.”

— Brett Taber, Vice president of social impact, Minnesota Vikings (inforum.com)

What’s next

The first games in the new girls flag football league are set to begin on April 26, 2026.

The takeaway

This new girls flag football league in North Dakota, supported by the Minnesota Vikings, represents an important milestone in the growth and expansion of organized, high-quality opportunities for girls to participate in the sport at the high school level. It aligns with broader trends of increasing popularity and sanctioning of flag football across the country, and sets the stage for further development of the sport in the region.