Chiefs Fuel Rapid Growth of Girls Flag Football Across Kansas and Missouri

As of November 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs are spearheading a rapid expansion of girls flag football across Kansas and Missouri. Led by the team's senior marketing manager Sheila Sickau, the initiative has grown from zero teams in 2022 to an expected 70 teams in the two states by the 2025 season.

Sickau, who was denied the opportunity to play football as a girl, is now working to ensure the next generation has the chance she never did. The Chiefs have provided a turnkey setup for high schools, including Nike uniforms, equipment, and coaching support, to help them launch girls flag football programs. This has fueled explosive growth, with 29 teams now in Kansas and nearly 50 in Missouri.

The next critical step is for Kansas to vote in April 2025 on sanctioning girls flag football as a varsity sport, which would legitimize the sport and drive even more schools to adopt it. While some administrators remain skeptical about the impact on other sports, Sickau is confident the sport will continue to thrive, potentially rivaling girls soccer in popularity one day.

The Chiefs' investment in girls flag football is part of a broader strategy to grow their fan base for the long term. By introducing the sport to a new generation of players, the team hopes to create lifelong fans who associate the Chiefs with their first football experiences.