By Coach Daniel | Triple Threat Sportscast

Girls flag football is no longer something people are waiting on.

It is happening right now.

Across the Southeast, the sport is growing fast. More high schools are adding teams, more athletes are getting involved, and more colleges are starting to see girls flag football as a real pathway for young women who want to compete beyond high school.

Few coaches have had a better view of that growth than Coach Daniel Howard of Wallace State.

Howard, the 2025 ACCC Coach of the Year, helped lead Wallace State’s inaugural women’s flag football program to an undefeated season and a conference championship. That kind of success does not happen by accident, especially in year one of building a program.

It takes leadership. It takes buy-in. It takes talent. And most importantly, it takes belief in where the sport is going.

For Howard, the growth of girls flag football is bigger than wins, records, and championships. It is about opportunity.

For a long time, young female athletes who loved football did not always have a clear path to keep playing the game at the next level. Now, that is changing. With more colleges investing in women’s flag football, athletes are starting to see real doors open.

Those doors include scholarships, college competition, leadership opportunities, and the chance to be part of building something that is still in its early stages.

That is what makes this moment so important.

Girls flag football is not just another sport being added to a schedule. It is becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, and the athletes who prepare now could be in position to benefit the most over the next several years.

The growth is especially noticeable in Tennessee and the surrounding states. Every season, more players are getting introduced to the game. More coaches are paying attention. More schools are taking it seriously. And more families are starting to understand that flag football can be a real opportunity for young athletes.

Howard’s success at Wallace State is proof of what is possible when a program is built the right way.

Starting a new program from the ground up is never easy. There is no established culture. There is no long history to lean on. Everything has to be created from scratch. Standards have to be set. Players have to learn what is expected. Coaches have to build trust. And the program has to find its identity quickly.

Wallace State did that.

An undefeated season and a conference championship in year one says a lot about the foundation Howard helped build. But it also says a lot about the rising level of talent entering the sport.

The athletes are getting better. The competition is getting stronger. The coaching is improving. And the attention around the game is only going to keep growing.

During his conversation with Triple Threat Sportscast, Coach Daniel Howard talked about where girls flag football is headed, what opportunities are available right now, and why the next five years could be transformational for the sport.

His message was clear.

The game is growing. The opportunities are growing. And the athletes who take the sport seriously now will have a chance to separate themselves early.

That means learning the game. That means developing real football IQ. That means improving speed, route running, communication, decision-making, and leadership. It also means understanding that colleges are not just looking for athletes. They are looking for competitors who can help build a culture.

That is what makes this next chapter so exciting.

Girls flag football is still young enough that athletes can be part of history, but it is growing fast enough that the window is opening right now. The players who prepare today may become the names people talk about tomorrow.

Coach Daniel Howard’s story at Wallace State shows what can happen when preparation meets opportunity.

A first-year program became a championship program. A new team became a standard-setter. And a growing sport gained another strong voice helping move it forward.

Girls flag football is here.

And for the athletes, coaches, schools, and families paying attention, the future looks bigger than ever.

Catch the full interview with Coach Daniel and Coach Daniel Howard now on the Triple Threat Sportscast YouTube channel.

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