They contacted a former offensive lineman for the Utah Jynx Women's Football team, Crystal Sacco, who was already making steps to start an all-girls youth league in the area.

[11] In early 2015, with the assistance of a few local professional women's football players, Gordon and her father founded the GFL as a non-profit.

[18][19][20] While most news organizations initially simply reported on it being the first of its kind, some media companies have taken a specific stance on the league.

[26] In 2020, two teams from the GFL played an exhibition match as the NFL Pro Bowl half time show.

[27][28] A documentary short about the league titled First Down was released in 2022 at multiple film festivals across the U.S and received a favorable review in the Washington Post.

As the only girl in the Ute conference youth tackle football league, she heard parents from opposing teams urge their kids to “beat the girl.”[31] The lawsuit used Title IX as justification and received national coverage.

[32] The two-week trial featured testimony from girls who played and suffered a range of experiences, including assault and exclusion.

[35][36] Nielson went on to say that “The mere fact that Defendants do not provide separate football teams for boys and girls is not discrimination on the basis of sex.

The districts must aim to boost the presence of girls' sports across elementary, middle, junior, and high school tiers.

[43][44] According to the rules of the GFL, the president is "responsible for coordinating and running meetings, maintaining league records, initiating the scheduling process, revising and distributing league rules, monitoring the registration process, and acting as the final arbiter of any disputes that might arise.

[42][non-primary source needed] The GFL only employees volunteers who do not receive pay for their work/contributions to the league, the exception to this being the official game referees.