Lincoln-Way Board Approves Girls Flag Football for 2026-2027 Season

Lincoln-Way 210 Board of Education Meeting | Jan. 15, 2026

Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education unanimously approved the addition of girls flag football as a competitive sport starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The district plans to field junior varsity and varsity teams at all three high schools following significant student interest.

Girls Flag Football Key Points:

• Start Date: The program will begin competition in the fall of the 2026-2027 school year.

• Structure: Each of the three high schools (Central, East, and West) will have a varsity and a junior varsity/fresh-soph team.

• Staffing: The district will hire four coaches per building (12 total district-wide) to support the program.

• Student Interest: A fall 2025 survey indicated approximately 100 interested students per school.

The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education on Thursday, January 15, 2026, voted unanimously to add girls flag football to the district’s athletic offerings beginning in the fall of 2026.

Superintendent Dr. R. Scott Tingley presented the proposal to the board, noting the sport’s rapid growth and its recent adoption as a conference sport by the Southwest Suburban Conference (SWSC).

“Our athletic directors sent out a survey to the students and quite a bit of interest came back,” Tingley told the board. “So, we think it’s time to add flag football as a competitive sport for next school year.”

According to a memo provided to the board from the district’s athletic directors and Assistant Superintendent Brian Murphy, survey results indicated that each school could potentially have about 100 students participate.

The program will launch with two levels of competition: a varsity level and a junior varsity or fresh-soph level. To support the new teams, the district plans to hire two coaches for each level at each school, totaling 12 new coaching positions district-wide.

Tingley noted that while the sport is currently in its nascent stages within the conference, he anticipates it will expand to three levels—freshman/sophomore, junior varsity, and varsity—within two to three years.

“We worked it into the budget,” Tingley said. “First year will be a little bit of a learning curve and then we’ll just see where it goes from there.”

Board President Aaron P. Janik and other board members expressed enthusiasm for the addition, noting the sport’s growing popularity and its recent inclusion in the Olympics.

“I think it’s growing popularity,” Janik said. “It’s fantastic. It’s great.”

While the teams will play a conference schedule next fall, the district will determine later in the spring whether to enter the teams into the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) postseason state series immediately.