LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The menu of sanctioned high school sports in Kentucky is growing, adding a pair of games that have surged in popularity across the country.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control voted this week to add girls' flag football and pickleball as officially sanctioned championship sports beginning with the 2027-28 school year.
Girls' flag football was approved by a 15-2 vote and will be played in the spring, while pickleball passed by an 11-6 margin and is slated to debut as a fall championship sport.
The decisions came during the board's final regularly scheduled meeting of the 2025-26 academic year in Lexington, where officials also approved new football district alignments for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
According to the KHSAA, more than one-third of member schools supported adding a pickleball championship during a triennial survey of athletic offerings. The board directed commissioner Julian Tackett and the KHSAA staff to create regulations and an implementation timeline ahead of the sport's launch.
Flag football's growth has accelerated nationally in recent years, fueled in part by NFL support and expanding opportunities for female athletes. The KHSAA board chose the spring season after survey feedback from schools.
The board declined to add Stunt — a sport derived from competitive cheer — citing insufficient interest from member schools at this time.
Football changes
The meeting also produced several football postseason changes.
Beginning in 2027, second-round playoff matchups will shift to RPI-based "semi-state" pairings rather than the current fixed district format. Under the new system, the remaining eight teams in each half of the bracket will be seeded by RPI, with No. 1 hosting No. 8, No. 2 hosting No. 7, and so on.
KHSAA officials said the move was driven in part by feedback seeking to reduce repetitive annual playoff matchups.
The board also approved several district adjustments in Classes 2A, 3A and 4A, while leaving the Class 1A, 5A and 6A alignments unchanged.
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