Girls Flag Football Touches Down at Cate
September 2, 2026
By Jesse Morrison, MCAA
Assistant Athletic Director for Program
A new era of athletics is officially underway on the Mesa. This fall, Cate School started its first girls flag football team, which competes in the Tri-Valley League against the likes of Bishop Diego, St. Bonaventure, Fillmore, Hueneme, and Santa Paula.
The season features roughly 20 female-identifying athletes, ranging from 9th- to 12th-grade students. The program will be led by our newest head coach, Joseph Ferguson, who most recently led the Crane Country Day School program to a championship win in the local Independent School League.
Adding this program to Cate’s diverse set of interscholastic athletic offerings should come as no surprise, as the sport has exploded in popularity over the past 10 years.
According to USA Football research, “in the 10 years from 2015 through 2024, the number of girls ages six to 12 playing flag football increased 283%, crossing 144,500 participants. During the same time period, there was a 57% increase in flag football participation among girls ages 6-17. More than 267,200 girls ages six to 17 played flag football in 2024.”
The rise of flag football has been so notable that it has been adopted as an NCAA Division 1-3 sport at many universities nationwide. Student-athletes can now receive athletic scholarships to compete in collegiate flag football. Take it a step further, flag football will make its historic debut at the Olympics in 2028.
The game is incredibly enjoyable to watch because it requires precise hand-eye coordination, breakaway speed, shifty footwork, chess-like strategy, and competitive spirit to succeed. Without heavy equipment and with fewer players on the field than in traditional football, the game is super fast-paced and exciting. Expect high-scoring matches full of highlight plays. Elite athletes nationwide are joining the sport and transferring skills they learned from other sports like soccer, lacrosse, track, and basketball.
When asked about the significance of adding the program, Cate’s head athletic director Wade Ransom said, “Cate is proud to have the opportunity to offer the fastest growing girls team sport in the United States for the first time. Given the enthusiasm of the student body, I am sure we are heading toward a very exciting season.”
When asked for comment about this upcoming season, 11th-grade newcomer Alaia Muller ‘28 said, “So far, flag football has been super fun. The energy is amazing. All of the girls are so sweet and we’re really able to create a community by working toward a new goal, because I think only one of us has played flag football before. It’s really cool that we can all grow together and learn this new activity as a group.”
If you are interested in following along this season, consider visiting the Cate School Athletics Instagram page and checking out the Cate Girls Flag Football website. Schedules, results, and rosters will all live there. Furthermore, come check out a game in person or watch our livestream on fan.hudl.com.