The Kansas City Chiefs are tackling a new opponent: the status quo. The team is spearheading a major push to make girls’ flag football an official high school sport in Kansas. One of the team’s most important campaigns this year is happening off the field, and it could change the game for thousands of girls across Kansas. 

To highlight what’s at stake, the Kansas City Chiefs have filed a petition to have the girls’ flag football sanctioned in Kansas, as reported on X by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“Chiefs announced they’re leading the charge to sanction girls high school flag football in Kansas and are now looking for supporters to support the petition.”

The Chiefs want all the supporters to “Make Your Voice Heard!” The petition filed reads as, “Until we can all play, there will always be a missing piece. It’s time to get girls’ flag football sanctioned in Kansas to expand access to school-based programs, provide more girls the opportunity to play, and strengthen pathways to collegiate opportunities.”

The Chiefs are urging everyone to “sign our petition to let the KSHSAA Board know how important this is to girls in Kansas!’

The moment of truth will come on Thursday, April 23, when “the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) will vote on whether to sanction girls flag football as an official high school sport.”

The Kansas City Chiefs are further taking matters into their own hands in order to contribute to the growth of flag football. In another move, they also launched an advertising campaign, Let Her Play, to make girls’ flag football a sanctioned sport in the state.

The 55-second video clip shared on the Chiefs’ social media handles showcases several girls already playing flag football and then cuts to Kansas City girls waiting for an opportunity to represent their school by playing organized flag football.

The video ends with key members of the franchise, including head coach Andy Reid, President Mark Donovan, and several players like Trey Smith, Creed Humphrey, and Xavier Worthy, all chanting, “Let Her Play.”

Talking about their campaign, the Chiefs’ President added,

“This is about opportunity. We’ve seen firsthand how girls’ flag football builds confidence, leadership, and a true sense of belonging for students who want to be part of the game. The momentum across Kansas is real, and moments like this have the power to open doors for an entire generation of student-athletes. Sanctioning girls’ flag football is the next step in turning this moment into a lasting opportunity, one we can move forward by working together across Kansas.”

Additionally, owner Clark Hunt reflected, “What we do know is flag, globally, is growing very fast.”

While speaking at the NFL owners meeting, he also highlighted the urgency, “It’s growing fast in the U.S., particularly the female demographic. There’s lots of positive statistics about a translation of people who played flag football becoming fans of the NFL. Long term, it’ll be very beneficial for the league.”

The final voting will be done by 73 members of the KSHSAA board, including high school principals, school board representatives, athletic directors, and superintendents. Rules say that at least 50% of the board must vote yes in order for the petition to pass.

If the vote passes, it will change everything. Not only will Kansas become the 18th state to grant the sport, but schools will also be able to start real teams with official rules and even play for a state championship. 

This push for female inclusion comes just as flag football prepares for its big Olympic debut at LA 2028. The “Let her play” campaign also hits close to home for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s always been a big advocate of girls’ flag football and is putting in his best efforts to make the sport accessible to as many girls as possible. 

Patrick Mahomes is a big believer in girls’ flag football 

As far as anyone can remember, Patrick Mahomes has been a big believer in sports inclusivity and has been doing his bit to bring diversity to the field. Alongside his longtime partner and wife, Brittany Mahomes, the two have been some of the biggest sports advocates known to the NFL.

Brittany became the co-owner of NWSL’s Kansas City Current in 2020 and, since then, has been actively working to bring professional women’s soccer back to Kansas. As a former player herself, Brittany understands its importance and played a pivotal role in the development of the CPKC stadium in 2024. 

In addition to that, she, alongside her husband, helped raise a $275 million valuation for the Kansas City Current. Last year, Brittany’s soccer team won the 2025 NWSL Shield following a record-setting season and currently sits at the top of the league.

However, none of this would have been possible without Patrick, who is also working alongside Jacquelyn Dahl, his marketing agent. The duo struck gold with each other as they share similar beliefs when it comes to the growth of football for women.

“I was just having conversations with my good friends here from the Chiefs about which women’s flag football team they can sign in Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes just signed 15 high schools to his brand with Adidas this past month, and the next goal is what we can do in flag.”

In 2025, Dahl was invited as a guest speaker on an ‘NFL Women in American Football’ panel held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where she highlighted Patrick’s intentions behind promoting flag football for girls.

“I know he’s passionate about it, the Chiefs are obviously so passionate about it. So it’s happening, there’s dollars to be spent.”

Dahl made it clear that flag football for girls is a project that’s very close to the Chiefs quarterback and he has been working behind the scenes to do whatever he can to help.

“It’s incredible, it’s all natural to him [Mahomes],” said Dahl. “That’s just him speaking from the heart and what he’s passionate about.”

It’s clear that both the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes share one goal: to make sure every girl who loves football has a fair shot to play the game she loves.