KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Girls flag football is thriving in Missouri, but the sport has yet to receive official sanctioning from the Missouri State High School Athletic Association, or MSHSAA, — something coaches and players eagerly await.
Grain Valley High School's girls flag football team is heading into this weekend's state championship with a 9-1 record, and the program has grown from 55 players to 75 in just one year.
Head coach Jason Fenstermaker launched the inaugural team at Grain Valley in 2024, crediting the Kansas City Chiefs' "Let Her Play" initiative for helping get programs off the ground.
"They gave equipment, jerseys and some money to get programs started at various schools. Our school jumped all over it," Fenstermaker said.
The program's rapid growth reflects a broader enthusiasm for the sport across the Kansas City area.
"For some reason, our community really jumped on the idea of girls flag football, all from kindergarten through seniors," Fenstermaker said, referencing the little league pipeline feeding into the high school interest.
Fenstermaker, who previously coached boys sports, said the level of competition in the region is already high.
"Honestly, some of the best flag football is played right here in the Kansas City area. Park Hill South has a phenomenal team. Lee's Summit West has a really great team. Ray Pec has been playing for years, really great team. So we have a lot of great competition right here in our own city," Fenstermaker said.
Players said the growing fan support reflects how far the program has come in a short time.
"We're having so many people in Grain Valley come out to watch us play, way more than last year," junior Madison Rust said.
For players like Rust, the sport represents something deeply personal.
"That's always what I wanted to do. So it's really like a dream come true, being able to play this," Rust said.
It isn't uncommon for members of the Lady Eagles flag football team to also be juggling other sports during and around the season.
Junior Lucy Dampf said the expanding roster is a sign the program's foundation is resonating with younger students.
"It's exciting. I think it's really validating to see that more girls, especially the freshmen, coming in — like they wanted to be a part of that team that we created last year," Dampf said.
Dampf said the appeal of the sport comes down to something simple.
"Sports are supposed to be fun and competitive, and everyone should want to be a part of that," Dampf said.
In 2025, MSHSAA identified girls flag football as an emerging sport and it is on track to be officially sanctioned by the 2027-2028 school year. Until then, Fenstermaker described the current landscape as loosely organized.
Without direct oversight, scheduling is largely informal — schools coordinate among themselves on when and where to play, according to Fenstermaker. He said official sanctioning would bring a more streamlined scheduling process along with adherence to all MSHSAA regulations.
The state championship is Saturday at Lee's Summit North starting at 10:00 AM. Grain Valley and several other metro teams will compete.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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