Thursday, October 1, 2026
Are you ready for some spring football?
Eight high schools in Nassau County will compete in girls flag football beginning this April thanks to the support of the New York Jets and Nike.
In recognition of the 36th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day, the Jets and Nike announced Feb. 1 the expansion of their Flag Football League to over 40 teams between New York and New Jersey.
Freeport, Hempstead, Locust Valley, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Plainview and West Hempstead comprise the list of Nassau teams. The plan is for a regular season consisting of anywhere between six and eight games, followed by playoff semifinals, county finals and a Long Island championship.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity for our female students to be part of this new sport offering of flag football,” Section VIII Executive Director Pat Pizzarelli said. “I want to thank the New York Jets for their support.”
Beyond funding and equipment, each participating school will receive uniforms from the Jets and Nike from their Girls Flag Football line of apparel. As part of the announcement, one player from each new team was a guest at MetLife Stadium and treated to a surprise uniform reveal in the Jets locker room.
“The expansion of our Girls Flag Football League brings us one step closer to our goal of having the sport adopted as an official varsity sport in both New York and New Jersey in order to continue providing young women with the opportunity to grow and excel on the field and in their daily lives,” said Jesse Linder, the Jets’ President of Community Relations.
There’s plenty of buzz in Freeport based on an interest meeting held in October. “We had 50 girls show up so that was pretty exciting,” said Athletic Director Jonathan Bloom, who added the plan is to play all home games on the high school turf field.
In Lynbrook, official sign-ups are expected to be held in a few weeks, Athletic Director Joe Martillotti said. The likeliest site for home games is Marion Street Elementary. “There seems to be a pretty good level of interest,” he said. “We still have to wait for a coach to be approved by the school board and dot some I’s and cross some T’s, but it’s moving forward.”
Long Beach Athletic Director Arnold Epstein said: “Anytime you can offer new opportunities to kids, it’s a good thing. We definitely have girls who are interested in football and we will offer the student-athletes who play another spring sport the flexibility to also join flag football if they want.”
West Hempstead has held two meetings so far regarding the sport kicking off. Athletic Director Chris Mistretta said 19 attended the first meeting and 23 were at the follow-up. “It’s a great idea,” he said.
Games will be 7 on 7 and played on a 40-by-80-yard field. Pizzarelli said a schedule is in the works and will be released sometime in the coming weeks.
