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Chicago Bears to host girls' flag football state championship

The four-game girls' football championship is Saturday, Oct 29 in Lake Forest, IL.

Harold Bone

Oct 28, 2022 — 2 min read

On Saturday, Oct. 29, the Chicago Bears and Bears Care will partner with Nike, Gatorade and Buffalo Wild Wings to host the first-ever "Chicago Bears Girls' Flag State Championship" at Halas Hall In Lake Forest, IL It's a tournament consisting of four games, featuring Taft High School and Kenwood Academy from the Chicago Public League, Guilford High School from Rockford, and Willowbrook High School from the West Suburban League. The schedule of the events is listed below.

In 2021, for the first time in Illinois history, the Chicago Bears and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced the Chicago Public League girls' flag football launch, featuring 22 teams with more than 400 girls participating. After a successful first-year season, the following year, the Illinois high school girls' flag football program doubled the size of the Chicago Public League to 48 Chicago Public School teams. In addition, the girls flag program also expanded to the Rockford area, creating a league of six teams, and the Western Suburban Conference, another league of six teams. The goal in making girls' flag football a sanctioned IHSA sport is to reach 10% of member IHSA schools participating, or approximately 80-90 schools. Over the last two years, 60 high school teams have registered and the Bears and CPS are hopeful the continued growth will lead to becoming an IHSA sanctioned sport by 2024.

WHO: Bears Manager of Youth Football & Community Programs, Gustavo Silva; Senior Manager of Elementary Sports for CPS and Commissioner of Chicago Public League Girls Flag Football, Juliana Zavala; Rockford Park District, Commissioner of Northern Illinois Girls Flag Football League, Lamont Jones; Commissioner of West Suburban Conference Girls Flag Football, Jim Geovanes; High school coaches and players from participating girls flag football teams

WHAT: A championship tournament for four high school girls flag football teams.

WHERE: Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall - 1920 Football Dr, Lake Forest, IL 60045

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 29, starting at 5 p.m.

Girls Flag Championship Schedule
Doors Open	5 p.m.
Welcome Presentation	5:30 p.m.
Semifinal Game #1	6-6:45 p.m.
Semifinal Game #2	6:45-7:30 p.m.
Third Place Game	7:30-8:15 p.m.
Championship Game	8:15-9 p.m.
Awards Presentation	9:15-9:30 p.m.