KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs and RefReps, the leader in sports officiating education, announced a new collaboration to grow girls FLAG Football in Kansas City by providing innovative edtech platforms and sports officiating curriculums to boost player safety, game quality, and opportunity.
Beginning in the Kansas City metro area, which consists of 29 varsity girls FLAG Football programs, the objective is to spread RefReps' educational efforts to other parts of Missouri and Kansas including St. Louis, Springfield, Topeka, and Wichita. Currently, 58 high schools across Missouri along with 98 high schools and six colleges across Kansas will teach sports officiating through the RefReps education platform.
"Our partnership with RefReps is incredible for the growth of girls FLAG Football throughout Missouri and Kansas," Chiefs EVP and Chief Media & Marketing Officer Lara Krug said. "It is essential to provide a safe, quality, and fun game for up-and-coming coming athletes as we progress toward officially sanctioning girls FLAG Football as an official varsity sport across the country. The Chiefs are committed to becoming a valuable resource for the sport as it continues to evolve."
RefReps brings in an innovative process to the playing field by equipping coaches, educators, and officials with its Officiating Education System™ that features standardized, video-based coursework and immersive POV officiating scenarios. The platform has more than 46,000 users and ensures that learners are equipped with the knowledge to provide a safe, enjoyable, and educational environment for those who enjoy the game.
"With these efforts to support the growth and development of FLAG Football officials, the Chiefs are yet again showing their dedication to student-athletes throughout Missouri and Kansas and helping ensure games are being played safely and fairly," RefReps Director of Education, Integration, and Advancement Dr. David Pillar said. "This commitment to the sport, the community, and most importantly, the athletes and coaches on the field is simply outstanding. We at RefReps couldn't be more excited to partner with the Chiefs to support the continued growth and sustainability of FLAG Football in the Kansas City area and beyond."
If you are interested in becoming a MSHSAA or KSHSAA official, please visit https://www.mshsaa.org/CMSPages/Become-an-Official.aspx or https://kansashs.arbitersports.com/front/103765/Site/New-Officials/Welcome for more information.
Flag Football is the fastest growing youth sport in the country and will be included as an Olympic sport for the first time during the Los Angeles games in 2028. According to the International Federation of American Football, 2.4 million kids under the age of 17 play organized FLAG Football in the United States with millions more worldwide. Today, NFL FLAG consists of more than 1,600 teams across all 50 states.
If you are interested in bringing Girls FLAG Football to your high school, please visit www.chiefs.com/chiefsflag/girlshighschool.
