Indiana hit its goal of 100 active girls flag football teams, the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana High School Athletic Association announced Sunday, July 26.Crossing the 100-team benchmark means girls flag football is now eligible to become an officially sanctioned high school sport in Indiana, where it is currently recognized as an "emerging sport." The IHSAA is now slated to vote on the sanctioning in May 2027 at the earliest.BIG news from the Colts at the NFL FLAG Championships although the road to 100 is complete, the road ahead is even more exciting. #playfootball#ThisIsHSFootballpic.twitter.com/21AlfKx9tH HSFA Flag (@HSFAFlag) July 26, 2026The Colts have been very involved in flag footballs growth in the Hoosier State,launching the "Road to 100" initiative to reach this benchmark and investing $10,000 in each school that joined the initiative to help offset the costs of equipment, uniforms and coaching expenses.As on Monday, the exact statewide participant tally is 108 schools in 50 cities. Girls flag football provides another pathway for girls to learn, play and love our great sport, as well as all the other opportunities and benefits that come from playing youth sports and being part of a team, Kalen Jackson, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, said during the announcement of the benchmark.The Colts are proud to help lead this effort to make football more accessible and inclusive for all, and this is only the beginning for girls flag in Indiana, she said.The announcement was made at the NFL Flag Championships, hosted in Westfield, Ind., over the weekend, where hundreds of youth and high school flag teams competed.All of the development in Indiana comes while girls flag football is exploding across the country, growing at the high school and collegiate levels as its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028 creeps closer. Twenty-three states have now sanctioned it as a a high school sport, with eight of those coming since January, and it was recently recommended by the NCAA to become a championship collegiate sport by 2028.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indianapolis Colts help flag football inch closer to sanctioning in Indiana