The sirens literally blared seconds into Keith Hayashi’s speech.
The former student-athlete and current DOE superintendent had just begun to speak at a press conference announcing the formation of girls flag football statewide. On the first of each month, on cue, Civil Defense sirens blare at 11:45 a.m.
“We’re celebrating this event, so the sirens are going off,” Hayashi said.
The debut of high school girls flag football will come in the spring of 2025. Representatives of four leagues — the BIIF, KIF, MIL and OIA — were on hand for the press conference. The ILH, according to football co-coordinator Wendell Look, has not yet approved the sport for the 2024-25 year.
The DOE’s Title IX coordinator, Dana Takahara-Dias, was enthused about the relatively quick process and cooperation required to make the sport official in every league with a state championship tournament — tentatively set for Apr. 21.
“All 44 public high schools will have the opportunity to participate in girls flag football. Just last week, the HHSAA executive board voted in favor of holding the very first state championship this school year,” Takahara-Dias said.
With the legislative session done, funding was a key priority. The girls flag football season would likely have been delayed if not for sponsorships by Marcus Mariota’s Motiv8 Foundation and the Hawaii Medical Services Association.
The format has not been decided yet, but the field could be as small as 60 yards long and 30 yards wide.
The on-field numbers are similar to Pylon (boys) football, seven versus seven. Headgear will be required. With a running clock, a typical game will be around one hour long.
Takahara-Dias is a former athletic director, coach and student-athlete, but her hope is a new sport will attract students from across the spectrum of the student body.
McKinley senior Trishelle Domingo did not play sports until trying out for soccer as a freshman. She stayed with the sport, learning the midfielder position. She also became the class president and has a grade-point average of 4.0. She intends to play flag football once soccer season concludes in February.
“I’ll be OK with the running part. I’ve got to learn the catching part a little bit,” Domingo said.
Her introduction to the sport was as a 6-year-old, tossing the football around with cousins near their homes in Palama. Soccer gives her confidence about what McKinley flag football could become.
“I’m very excited. Our soccer team, we built a strong base and foundation — we had each other’s backs, really. It’s very important,” Domingo said. “Just making sure everyone stays and enjoys it.”
Hawai‘i is the 12th state to adopt girls flag football as an official high school state-championship sport.
“This is an historic day for our state and one I’m proud to be a part of,” HHSAA Executive Director Chris Chun said. “When it comes to advocating for girls’ athletic opportunities, Hawaii has always been at the forefront of progress. The landmark Title IX legislation, we cannot help but stand proud that its co-author, Patsy T. Mink, was from Hawai‘i. A small state like ours offers the seventh-most sports in the country. This is especially meaningful to me as a father because my daughter will be sophomore this coming year and participates in two sports.”
One of the key bridge builders in this movement is former HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya, particularly in bringing sponsors to the table.
During his tenure (1998-2010), the HHSAA introduced 21 new state-championship tournaments, including judo, water polo, competitive cheer, paddling, air riflery and girls golf, along with Division II state events.
Flag football is the first girls team sport to be added in 20 years. Esports was added in 2019 as a co-ed sport and girls water polo was approved in 2004.
“We’re excited about the addition of girls flag football. It’s one of fastest-growing sports,” Amemiya said, noting the game’s presence on global platforms.
Strong participation in the sport across the state at the club level, Amemiya noted, bodes well for high school implementation.
Women’s flag football will make its debut in the Olympics at the 2028 Games.
“I cannot wait to see what our girls will do on the field,” Chun said. “Just maybe — strike that, definitely — we will have a Hawai‘i Olympian representing us in the Olympics.”
College scholarships, or financial aid, are offered at the Division II and III levels, Amemiya added.
“I know that in time our high school girls will be just as competitive as our high school boys are in tackle football on the national level,” he said.
Optimism abounded during the presser, but Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke had her own low-key humor — and recommendation — about one aspect of prep sports that has grown in recent years.
“No recruiting,” she said, drawing laughter from the gathering at McKinley High School field. “We want all the schools to have a fair chance. We don’t want all the (players) ending up at one school.”
Officials are optimistic about player turnout. Informal surveys have indicated there is strong interest. In the 2000s, there was some discussion about starting girls flag football, but only two schools — Farrington and Kahuku — showed significant interest. Domingo is prepared to help with the grassroots effort to bring schoolmates to the gridiron.
“With soccer, we had to do that a lot. Get together a team. There’s a lot of no’s because of all the running and the hot sun,” she said.
“But you’ve got to ask. It’s worse to ask than not to ask. Probably when school starts is going to be the time when we’ll increase the interest and get real excited about playing in the spring.”
