The NFL season is still months away, but football has begun in Pittsburgh.
Girls flag football, that is.
The Steelers will help to kickoff the WPIAL's first sanctioned girls flag football season on Saturday, March 7 when the teams host scrimmages throughout the region.
The full league season begins the weekend of March 13 and will run through the postseason. The Steelers will partner with District 7 (WPIAL) and District 8 (City League) for the playoffs and championships.
"The start of the 2026 Girls Flag Football season – the first as a state-sanctioned sport – is a testament to the partnerships forged across Pennsylvania and the passion of the girls who play the game," said Dan Rooney, Vice President of Strategy for the Pittsburgh Steelers. "As the sport continues to take hold regionally and beyond, building momentum toward 2028 when flag football will make its Olympic debut, the Steelers are proud to continue to support these young athletes."
Throughout the season, the Steelers will honor girls flag football players and coaches. Players will be eligible to win the Jerome Bettis Leadership Award, which recognizes players who go above and beyond to mentor their teammates both on and off the field. The winner receives a $1,000 donation to their flag football program.
The Steelers will also have a Girls Flag Coach of the Week program for the first time this season, which will honor the coaches in the region, and the weekly winner will receive a $1,500 donation to their flag football program.
In addition, the Steelers will continue to cover girls flag football on all of their social media channels throughout the season.
This is the first season the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has sanctioned girls flag as a high school sport, and to help it get off the ground the Steelers are helping several teams in District 10 with equipment needs to get started. The Steelers will also be developing programs in West Virginia over the summer and fall in an effort to grow girls flag in that region.
The Steelers will host tryouts for the local team that will participate in the PSFCA Big 33 Tournament, which is open to all high school senior players. The games will take place May 23-24 and feature teams representing the Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens. The annual Big 33 Football Classic will follow the girls flag championship game.
