Clear Lake, Clear Brook and Friendswood could field girls flag football teams as early as the 2028-29 school year. The University Interscholastic League (UIL) Legislative Council voted Monday, Oct. 19, to create a pilot program for the sport.

The pilot will be limited to two classifications. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the program will include Class 6A and 5A schools, with elective participation available for lower classifications. Clear Lake and Clear Brook compete in 6A. Friendswood competes in 5A. All three could be eligible when the pilot begins.

The proposal still needs final approval from the Texas Commissioner of Education.

School districts will choose whether to participate. UIL staff will develop rules, a competition format and an implementation plan to present at the June 2027 legislative council meeting, according to the Houston Chronicle. The program would include a state championship in each conference, with district, regional or other qualifying rounds.

The season's timing remains undecided. UIL Executive Director Jamey Harrison said staff will evaluate every window on the calendar.

"From the time we start the first day of volleyball practice in early August until the last pitch of the state softball tournament at the end of May, there is not a single day in between those two that there is not at least one team sport in process," Harrison told the Houston Chronicle.

Harrison said he has heard suggestions for fall, early spring and late spring seasons.

The vote followed years of advocacy from the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys, whose programs have funded teams across the state. According to the Houston Chronicle, 96 Houston-area schools participate in the Texans' flag football program, which launched in 2023.

The Cowboys and Texans together created a non-sanctioned league involving more than 240 schools and nearly 5,500 athletes, the Star-Telegram reported.

A fall 2026 UIL survey of Texas superintendents found that 52% of respondents from Class 5A and 6A schools favored sanctioning girls flag football. The survey also found 165 schools already offer the sport, ABC13 reported.

Funding remains a concern. Houston-area teams have relied on Texans sponsorship for equipment, officials and game operations. Pasadena ISD Athletic Director Patrick Longstreet told ABC13 that costs for teams, uniforms, officials and staging games are an issue because the Texans have been covering those expenses.

Flag football is set to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The NCAA named women's flag football an emerging sport in January, and 25 states are expected to have sanctioned the high school version by fall 2027.

Individual school districts will decide whether to opt in once the UIL finalizes the pilot's rules and competition structure.