NCHSAA board could approve new sports, officials’ pay, safety changes this week
North Carolina could add two new high school sports this week.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association will host its spring board of directors meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in Chapel Hill, and the board could vote to add girls’ flag football and boys’ volleyball as sanctioned sports.
The Carolina Panthers have helped make a big push for girls’ flag football in the Carolinas, starting with a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools league several years ago. That league culminates with a big final day at Bank of America Stadium.
Currently there more than 40 states are offering girls’ flag, according to the NFL and the National Federation of High Schools. Among those, 20 states have sanctioned the sport, and are offering playoffs and state championships, including California, Florida and New York.
Boys’ volleyball is another sport rapidly increasing in popularity in some parts of the state.
Ten years ago, there were four boys teams playing, according to Sarah Conklin, the Weddington High club coach and a longtime organizer of the sport in North Carolina. Today, there are more than 120 schools playing, or about 1/4th of the NCHSAA’s membership.
Last year, 36 states sanctioned boys’ volleyball, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and the NFHS reports that participation in the sport has grown — from 43,000 athletes nationally in 2005-06 to nearly 96,000 in the 2024-25 school year.
Other agenda items include:
— Increasing referee pay. The board approved a 5% increase at the December meeting but will now consider rescinding that and giving refs a 10% increase in pay. An NCHSAA committee said would bring North Carolina closer to what neighboring states are paying.
— Requiring a five-man officiating crew for junior varsity football.
— Make 10-minute quarters for JV football a statewide mandate. Currently, different systems have different quarter lengths. The board will also consider establishing similar rules for JV basketball (7 minute quarters) and JV lacrosse (10).
— Potentially discontinuing the use of shoulder pads during summer football skill development and 7 on 7 due to the lack of heat acclimatization requirements and to discourage contact and lessen the risk of heat illness.
— Potentially requiring all coaches, including volunteers, to complete youth mental health and first-aid training programs every three years.
— A policy that would allow two schools to combine athletic programs when one or more cannot field a competitive team due to declining enrollment or interest. And to potentially allow students to play a sport at the nearest neighboring school within the same district if his or her school does not offer that sport. The affected student would be responsible for transportation.
— To make girls compete against girls in regular-season and post-season wrestling events. Girls’ wrestling has been sanctioned for three years and N.C. Wrestling Coaches Association asked for the change so girls are not wrestling boys for team points.
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 6:30 AM with the headline "NCHSAA board could approve new sports, officials’ pay, safety changes this week."
