Oswego CUSD 308 Looks to Add Girls Flag Football as IHSA Sport
Girls Flag Football is being considered as an official IHSA state-series sport at Oswego and Oswego East High Schools. (file photo)
The Oswego CUSD 308 Board of Education discussed adding girls flag football as an official IHSA sport for the 2025-2026 school year.
Oswego High School athletic director Dan Arntzen and Oswego East High School athletic director Tony Millard presented the process for adding a new sport.
Student interest survey numbers were presented to the board. Of the 1,218 responses from 8th through 11th graders in the district, 242 said they would be interested in girls flag football in the future.
The Illinois High School Association sanctioned girls flag football as an official state-series sport in 2024-2025. That same school year, girls flag football was offered at OHS and OE as club sports with over 120 girls rostered between the two high schools.
Financially, in the first year of the proposal, the cost for the district would be approximately $44,901.52. In the second year, the cost is estimated to be around $50,217.14. In the next three yearss of the proposal, with the addition of junior varsity teams at both schools, the estimated cost ranges from $97,192.88 to $107,614.88. The estimated five-year total for Oswego CUSD 308 would be around $420,857.30. Costs include uniforms, individual equipment, transportation, coaching stipends, officials and workers fees and other miscellaneous expenses.
Some board members brought up concerns about equity and the availability of roster spots for all available students. The proposed timeline includes only a varsity team in its official first year with a junior varsity team to follow in the second or third year of the plan. Varsity roster sizes are limited to 25 athletes. As a result, there was a discussion of possibly offering a junior varsity or a club team or both in the first year.
More information was requested by the board in time for more discussion at the April 28 board meeting. The presentation is available to view on YouTube.
