- Girls College Flag Football Update
COLLEGE WOMEN FLAG FOOTBALL IS BOOMING
In January 2026, the NCAA officially added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program, marking a major milestone in the evolution of girls flag football at the collegiate level. This designation immediately opens the door for more varsity programs and sets a clear pathway toward full NCAA championship status in the future.
What Emerging Sport Status Means for Girls Flag Football:For student-athletes, this decision is huge. Emerging sport status means that colleges across the country will now be encouraged — and increasingly motivated — to sponsor women’s flag football at the varsity level. As high school girls flag football teams grow, so do opportunities for competition and scholarships that weren’t previously available in this space.
According to the NCAA, as many as 60 programs are expected by spring 2026 and more schools planning launches in the coming years. This rapid expansion reflects growing interest nationwide, including strong momentum for girls flag football in Florida, where participation has surged at the youth and high school levels.
Flag football is also debuting as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Olympic Games with a six-team tournament. This global spotlight further validates the sport’s legitimacy and long-term potential for aspiring athletes.
What This Means Right Now:Schools offering women’s flag football will immediately count toward the NCAA’s required 40 varsity programs threshold, the minimum needed for a sport to be considered for NCAA championship status.Over the next several years, colleges will build rosters, hire coaches, and expand competitive schedules as women’s flag football gains traction nationwide.If participation keeps growing, women’s flag football could reach full championship status within a decade, joining the ranks of other NCAA championship sports. In 2026, flag football is experiencing massive growth, highlighted by its official addition to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. Over 60 colleges are expected to sponsor women's flag football by spring 2026. Major 2026 highlights include the NFL Pro Bowl featuring flag games in San Francisco, Tom Brady participating in a March 2026 tournament in Saudi Arabia, and the launch of a new professional league backed by $32 million in NFL team investments. The future of flag football is taking shape on college campuses across the country. Thanks to growing momentum at the youth and high school levels, more girls than ever are taking their love of flag football to the next level in college. With trailblazing programs across the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA, scholarship opportunities and national competitions are opening doors like never before—for competition, community, and lifelong impact.
Facts:
Over 100 colleges and universities are offering club or varsity flag football across the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA to complement thousands of teams competing at the intramural level.
25 new programs added in the past year.
65+ NCAA schools offer flag football—including Alabama State University (1st DI & HBCU to offer scholarships).
Female athletes now receive scholarships, NIL deals, and national team invites .
Flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the country at the youth, high school and collegiate levels. The sport's momentum includes being added as a sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles."Welcoming women's flag football into the Emerging Sports for Women is a meaningful step toward expanding access, equity and opportunity," said Jacqie McWilliams, commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. "This sport has already sparked passion nationwide, and now countless young women will see a path that once didn't exist. We celebrate the programs leading the way and look forward to the transformative impact they will have on the future of collegiate athletics." The Emerging Sports for Women program is intended to help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship options for schools, while helping that sport achieve NCAA championship status. "The recognition of women's flag football as an NCAA emerging sport marks an important and inspiring step forward for collegiate athletics. Women’s College Flag Football Program Announcements:
The American Southwest Conference, DALLAS, Texas – is proud to announce plans for the addition of flag football as a women’s varsity sport, beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. All members of the American Southwest Conference will sponsor women’s flag football with conference play to begin as soon as permitted by the NCAA. “We are excited about the addition of flag football and the opportunities it provides female student-athletes in the American Southwest Conference,” ASC Commissioner David Flores said. “We are looking forward to growing the sport as a conference and recognizing more ASC champions.”Women’s flag football is rapidly expanding nationwide, providing more opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics. It is also being sponsored by the National Football League and has been added as a sport for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Flag Football has seen a 63% increase in participation among young women over the last five years, with more than 500,000 athletes now playing before college. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics made a recommendation to all three NCAA divisions earlier this year to sponsor legislation to add flag football to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. The vote to add flag football to the program took place at the NCAA Convention in January 2026. Once in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, flag football must have a minimum of 40 total schools across all divisions sponsoring the sport at the varsity level and meet the minimum contest and participation requirements to be considered for NCAA championship status.
East Texas Baptist University, MARSHALL, Texas— has announced the addition of women's flag football to its athletic department sports offerings, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. In conjunction with the American Southwest Conference, all ASC member institutions (Hardin - Simmons University (Abilene,Tx.),Mary Hardin Baylor University (Belton,Tx.), and Howard Payne University (Brownwood, Tx.) will sponsor women's flag football as a sport, and conference play will begin as soon as permitted by the NCAA. East Texas Baptist University will host a flag football prospect camp from 1 PM to 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2026. The camp is open to any high school players, plus transfer students, and will be held at ETBU's football field in Marshall, Texas. Also, East Texas Baptist University will host an open field to teach running drills and skills each Sunday, starting February 8. The open field will take place from 6 to 8 PM and is open to 9th to 12th graders and ETBU students.
The University of Texas at Arlington is adding women’s flag football to its intercollegiate athletics program, becoming the first NCAA Division I university in Texas to do so—and staking a bold claim in one of the nation’s fastest growing sports.
Concordia University (Texas) – Launched a varsity flag football program in October 2024, with plans to compete as a club sport in 2026 and as a varsity sport in 2027.
Texas Wesleyan University – Announced the formation of a flag football team, aiming to start playing in the 2026 season as part of the NAIA.
Roberts Wesleyan University (NY) is gearing up to start an NCAA women’s flag football team. The university announced on Tuesday April 22, 2025 that the team is expected to start competition in the spring of 2026. Because Roberts Wesleyan is a Division II school, athletic scholarships will be available starting this fall. The university says it’s already working to recruit athletes.
Virginia Wesleyan University is forming its first women's flag football team for 2026 — this comes as other teams have popped up throughout Hampton Roads. “We will be one of the first [colleges] in the Commonwealth to offer women’s flag football,” said Andrea Hoover, executive director for intercollegiate athletics at Virginia Wesleyan University.
The University of Tampa (Florida) fielded its first-ever flag football team in 2024 and named Jimmy Barbarise head coach. Barbarise said "The University of Tampa Women's Flag Football team is a great way to participate in a fun and competitive football environment".
Alabama State made history on June 4, 2024 with the announcement that a women’s flag football program will be joining the university’s list of athletic offerings. Hornets athletic director Jason Cable adds, “The University is proud to be the first Division I Historically Black College and Universities school to offer a women’s flag football program.”
King University (Tennessee) added women's flag football this July, 2024 as its next sanctioned varsity sport to begin in 2026 . King University adding girls flag football as a sanctioned sport next year opens the door for more colleges and universities to begin the program and have enough players to compete. Manhattan University (NY) will add a varsity women's flag football program and begin competing in the 2026-27 academic year. Manhattan is the fifth school from the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) to add a club or varsity team.
Spring Hill College (AL) will also add a varsity women's flag football team beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Spring Hill is the second school from the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference to add the sport, following the University of West Alabama. The University of Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen hopes the school's addition of flag football will lead to more growth. Nebraska became the first school from the NCAA Division I's Power 4 Conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC) to add the sport. Now, he and the NFL are looking to see more schools add the sport. Nebraska will begin competing at the varsity level in the 2027-28 academic year. University of North Alabama announced on Tuesday, September 30, 2026. the addition of one new program to the athletic department, alongside the expansion of two existing programs, to begin competition in 2026-27. UNA becomes the second Division I school in Alabama to add women's flag football, joining Alabama State who announced the sport in 2024-25. The Lions are among the first six schools to announce women's flag football as a sponsored varsity sport at the Division I level along with future United Athletic Conference opponent UT Arlington, Mount St. Mary's, LIU and Mercyhurst. CONFERENCES WITH WOMEN FLAG FOOTBALL:
American Southwest Conference:East Texas Baptist University (Marshall,Tx.)Hardin - Simmons University (Abilene,Tx.)Mary Hardin Baylor University (Belton,Tx.)Howard Payne University (Brownwood, Tx.)
Conference Carolinas announced May 6, 2025 the addition of women's flag football as a conference sponsored sport starting in 2025-26.
Participating CC Institutions:Barton CollegeChowan UniversityEmmanuel University Erskine CollegeFerrum College King University Lees-McRae College Mars Hill UniversityMount St. Mary’s Universitythe University of Mount Olive Wingate University The Atlantic East Conference became the first Division III NCAA conference to officially sponsor the sport in the spring 2025 season.
Participating AEC Institutions:Marymount University (Virginia)Neumann University (Pennsylvania)Eastern University (Pennsylvania)Holy Family University (Pennsylvania)Immaculata University (Pennsylvania)Cabrini University (Pennsylvania)Penn State Schuylkill (Pennsylvania) The United East (N.Y.)announced today the anticipated addition of women's flag football as a conference-sponsored sport starting in 2025-26.
Participating UEC Institutions:Gallaudet UniversityKeystone College Lancaster Bible CollegePenn College Rosemont College
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (Charlotte, N.C.) is excited to announce the launch of Women’s Flag Football at seven of its member institutions, set to kick off in Spring 2025.
Participating CIAA Institutions:Bluefield State University Bowie State University Claflin University Fayetteville State University Johnson C. Smith University Virginia Union University Winston-Salem State University
The Minnesota Vikings have partnered with six NCAA institutions to launch a collegiate women’s flag football league, with inaugural competitions starting in April 2025.
Participating NCAA Institutions:University of Wisconsin-Stout (Wisconsin)Augustana University (South Dakota)Concordia College Moorhead (Minnesota)Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota)Bethel University (Minnesota)University of Northwestern (Minnesota)East Texas Baptist University (Marshall, Texas)
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)The NAIA has been a pioneer in adopting women’s flag football, officially recognizing it in the 2020–21 season.
Participating NAIA Institutions:Ottawa University (Kansas)Keiser University (Florida)Kansas Wesleyan University (Kansas)Thomas University (Georgia)Baker University (Kansas)Midland University (Nebraska)Warner University (Florida)Cottey College (Missouri)Webber International University (Florida)Southwestern College (Kansas)St. Thomas University (Florida)Milligan University (Tennessee)Reinhardt University (Georgia)University of Saint Mary (Kansas)Point University (Georgia)Campbellsville University (Kentucky)Life University (Georgia)Florida Memorial University (Florida)Graceland University (Iowa)Bethel College (Kansas)
The National Junior College Athletic Association recognized women’s flag football as an emerging sport starting in 2023.
Participating NJCAA Institutions:Bryant & Stratton College (Wisconsin)Fort Scott (Kansas)Pratt (Kansas)Florida Gateway College (Florida)Kennedy King College (Chicago, IL)Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (Clifton Forge, VA)Hocking College (Nelsonville, OH)Nassau Community College (New York)Union County College (Cranford, NJ)
The Empire 8 (NY) is excited to announce the addition of women’s flag football as a conference-sponsored championship sport for the 2025-26 season.
Participating E8C Institutions:SUNY BrockportElmira CollegeHartwick CollegeSUNY GeneseoRussell Sage College Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Centenary College of Louisiana Concordia University Texas Hendrix College (AR) Millsaps College (MS). The SCAC is the most recent NCAA conference to add flag football as a sponsored sport, ahead of the January 2026 vote to add it to the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women Program.
Over 220 schools are expected to compete during the 2025-26 academic year, including more than 100 new programs. The 2026-27 academic year already has three dozen new teams lined up, with that number set to grow in the coming months.
Conclusion:The rapid expansion of women’s flag football at the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA levels highlights the growing demand and institutional support for the sport. With new teams launching, conferences embracing the game, and partnerships forming with major organizations like the Minnesota Vikings, the landscape of women’s collegiate athletics is evolving. Tutorial Videos available on You Tube.
What Emerging Sport Status Means for Girls Flag Football:For student-athletes, this decision is huge. Emerging sport status means that colleges across the country will now be encouraged — and increasingly motivated — to sponsor women’s flag football at the varsity level. As high school girls flag football teams grow, so do opportunities for competition and scholarships that weren’t previously available in this space.
According to the NCAA, as many as 60 programs are expected by spring 2026 and more schools planning launches in the coming years. This rapid expansion reflects growing interest nationwide, including strong momentum for girls flag football in Florida, where participation has surged at the youth and high school levels.
Flag football is also debuting as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Olympic Games with a six-team tournament. This global spotlight further validates the sport’s legitimacy and long-term potential for aspiring athletes.
What This Means Right Now:Schools offering women’s flag football will immediately count toward the NCAA’s required 40 varsity programs threshold, the minimum needed for a sport to be considered for NCAA championship status.Over the next several years, colleges will build rosters, hire coaches, and expand competitive schedules as women’s flag football gains traction nationwide.If participation keeps growing, women’s flag football could reach full championship status within a decade, joining the ranks of other NCAA championship sports. In 2026, flag football is experiencing massive growth, highlighted by its official addition to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. Over 60 colleges are expected to sponsor women's flag football by spring 2026. Major 2026 highlights include the NFL Pro Bowl featuring flag games in San Francisco, Tom Brady participating in a March 2026 tournament in Saudi Arabia, and the launch of a new professional league backed by $32 million in NFL team investments. The future of flag football is taking shape on college campuses across the country. Thanks to growing momentum at the youth and high school levels, more girls than ever are taking their love of flag football to the next level in college. With trailblazing programs across the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA, scholarship opportunities and national competitions are opening doors like never before—for competition, community, and lifelong impact.
Facts:
Over 100 colleges and universities are offering club or varsity flag football across the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA to complement thousands of teams competing at the intramural level.
25 new programs added in the past year.
65+ NCAA schools offer flag football—including Alabama State University (1st DI & HBCU to offer scholarships).
Female athletes now receive scholarships, NIL deals, and national team invites .
Flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the country at the youth, high school and collegiate levels. The sport's momentum includes being added as a sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles."Welcoming women's flag football into the Emerging Sports for Women is a meaningful step toward expanding access, equity and opportunity," said Jacqie McWilliams, commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. "This sport has already sparked passion nationwide, and now countless young women will see a path that once didn't exist. We celebrate the programs leading the way and look forward to the transformative impact they will have on the future of collegiate athletics." The Emerging Sports for Women program is intended to help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship options for schools, while helping that sport achieve NCAA championship status. "The recognition of women's flag football as an NCAA emerging sport marks an important and inspiring step forward for collegiate athletics. Women’s College Flag Football Program Announcements:
The American Southwest Conference, DALLAS, Texas – is proud to announce plans for the addition of flag football as a women’s varsity sport, beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. All members of the American Southwest Conference will sponsor women’s flag football with conference play to begin as soon as permitted by the NCAA. “We are excited about the addition of flag football and the opportunities it provides female student-athletes in the American Southwest Conference,” ASC Commissioner David Flores said. “We are looking forward to growing the sport as a conference and recognizing more ASC champions.”Women’s flag football is rapidly expanding nationwide, providing more opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics. It is also being sponsored by the National Football League and has been added as a sport for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Flag Football has seen a 63% increase in participation among young women over the last five years, with more than 500,000 athletes now playing before college. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics made a recommendation to all three NCAA divisions earlier this year to sponsor legislation to add flag football to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. The vote to add flag football to the program took place at the NCAA Convention in January 2026. Once in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, flag football must have a minimum of 40 total schools across all divisions sponsoring the sport at the varsity level and meet the minimum contest and participation requirements to be considered for NCAA championship status.
East Texas Baptist University, MARSHALL, Texas— has announced the addition of women's flag football to its athletic department sports offerings, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. In conjunction with the American Southwest Conference, all ASC member institutions (Hardin - Simmons University (Abilene,Tx.),Mary Hardin Baylor University (Belton,Tx.), and Howard Payne University (Brownwood, Tx.) will sponsor women's flag football as a sport, and conference play will begin as soon as permitted by the NCAA. East Texas Baptist University will host a flag football prospect camp from 1 PM to 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2026. The camp is open to any high school players, plus transfer students, and will be held at ETBU's football field in Marshall, Texas. Also, East Texas Baptist University will host an open field to teach running drills and skills each Sunday, starting February 8. The open field will take place from 6 to 8 PM and is open to 9th to 12th graders and ETBU students.
The University of Texas at Arlington is adding women’s flag football to its intercollegiate athletics program, becoming the first NCAA Division I university in Texas to do so—and staking a bold claim in one of the nation’s fastest growing sports.
Concordia University (Texas) – Launched a varsity flag football program in October 2024, with plans to compete as a club sport in 2026 and as a varsity sport in 2027.
Texas Wesleyan University – Announced the formation of a flag football team, aiming to start playing in the 2026 season as part of the NAIA.
Roberts Wesleyan University (NY) is gearing up to start an NCAA women’s flag football team. The university announced on Tuesday April 22, 2025 that the team is expected to start competition in the spring of 2026. Because Roberts Wesleyan is a Division II school, athletic scholarships will be available starting this fall. The university says it’s already working to recruit athletes.
Virginia Wesleyan University is forming its first women's flag football team for 2026 — this comes as other teams have popped up throughout Hampton Roads. “We will be one of the first [colleges] in the Commonwealth to offer women’s flag football,” said Andrea Hoover, executive director for intercollegiate athletics at Virginia Wesleyan University.
The University of Tampa (Florida) fielded its first-ever flag football team in 2024 and named Jimmy Barbarise head coach. Barbarise said "The University of Tampa Women's Flag Football team is a great way to participate in a fun and competitive football environment".
Alabama State made history on June 4, 2024 with the announcement that a women’s flag football program will be joining the university’s list of athletic offerings. Hornets athletic director Jason Cable adds, “The University is proud to be the first Division I Historically Black College and Universities school to offer a women’s flag football program.”
King University (Tennessee) added women's flag football this July, 2024 as its next sanctioned varsity sport to begin in 2026 . King University adding girls flag football as a sanctioned sport next year opens the door for more colleges and universities to begin the program and have enough players to compete. Manhattan University (NY) will add a varsity women's flag football program and begin competing in the 2026-27 academic year. Manhattan is the fifth school from the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) to add a club or varsity team.
Spring Hill College (AL) will also add a varsity women's flag football team beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Spring Hill is the second school from the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference to add the sport, following the University of West Alabama. The University of Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen hopes the school's addition of flag football will lead to more growth. Nebraska became the first school from the NCAA Division I's Power 4 Conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC) to add the sport. Now, he and the NFL are looking to see more schools add the sport. Nebraska will begin competing at the varsity level in the 2027-28 academic year. University of North Alabama announced on Tuesday, September 30, 2026. the addition of one new program to the athletic department, alongside the expansion of two existing programs, to begin competition in 2026-27. UNA becomes the second Division I school in Alabama to add women's flag football, joining Alabama State who announced the sport in 2024-25. The Lions are among the first six schools to announce women's flag football as a sponsored varsity sport at the Division I level along with future United Athletic Conference opponent UT Arlington, Mount St. Mary's, LIU and Mercyhurst. CONFERENCES WITH WOMEN FLAG FOOTBALL:
American Southwest Conference:East Texas Baptist University (Marshall,Tx.)Hardin - Simmons University (Abilene,Tx.)Mary Hardin Baylor University (Belton,Tx.)Howard Payne University (Brownwood, Tx.)
Conference Carolinas announced May 6, 2025 the addition of women's flag football as a conference sponsored sport starting in 2025-26.
Participating CC Institutions:Barton CollegeChowan UniversityEmmanuel University Erskine CollegeFerrum College King University Lees-McRae College Mars Hill UniversityMount St. Mary’s Universitythe University of Mount Olive Wingate University The Atlantic East Conference became the first Division III NCAA conference to officially sponsor the sport in the spring 2025 season.
Participating AEC Institutions:Marymount University (Virginia)Neumann University (Pennsylvania)Eastern University (Pennsylvania)Holy Family University (Pennsylvania)Immaculata University (Pennsylvania)Cabrini University (Pennsylvania)Penn State Schuylkill (Pennsylvania) The United East (N.Y.)announced today the anticipated addition of women's flag football as a conference-sponsored sport starting in 2025-26.
Participating UEC Institutions:Gallaudet UniversityKeystone College Lancaster Bible CollegePenn College Rosemont College
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (Charlotte, N.C.) is excited to announce the launch of Women’s Flag Football at seven of its member institutions, set to kick off in Spring 2025.
Participating CIAA Institutions:Bluefield State University Bowie State University Claflin University Fayetteville State University Johnson C. Smith University Virginia Union University Winston-Salem State University
The Minnesota Vikings have partnered with six NCAA institutions to launch a collegiate women’s flag football league, with inaugural competitions starting in April 2025.
Participating NCAA Institutions:University of Wisconsin-Stout (Wisconsin)Augustana University (South Dakota)Concordia College Moorhead (Minnesota)Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota)Bethel University (Minnesota)University of Northwestern (Minnesota)East Texas Baptist University (Marshall, Texas)
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)The NAIA has been a pioneer in adopting women’s flag football, officially recognizing it in the 2020–21 season.
Participating NAIA Institutions:Ottawa University (Kansas)Keiser University (Florida)Kansas Wesleyan University (Kansas)Thomas University (Georgia)Baker University (Kansas)Midland University (Nebraska)Warner University (Florida)Cottey College (Missouri)Webber International University (Florida)Southwestern College (Kansas)St. Thomas University (Florida)Milligan University (Tennessee)Reinhardt University (Georgia)University of Saint Mary (Kansas)Point University (Georgia)Campbellsville University (Kentucky)Life University (Georgia)Florida Memorial University (Florida)Graceland University (Iowa)Bethel College (Kansas)
The National Junior College Athletic Association recognized women’s flag football as an emerging sport starting in 2023.
Participating NJCAA Institutions:Bryant & Stratton College (Wisconsin)Fort Scott (Kansas)Pratt (Kansas)Florida Gateway College (Florida)Kennedy King College (Chicago, IL)Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (Clifton Forge, VA)Hocking College (Nelsonville, OH)Nassau Community College (New York)Union County College (Cranford, NJ)
The Empire 8 (NY) is excited to announce the addition of women’s flag football as a conference-sponsored championship sport for the 2025-26 season.
Participating E8C Institutions:SUNY BrockportElmira CollegeHartwick CollegeSUNY GeneseoRussell Sage College Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Centenary College of Louisiana Concordia University Texas Hendrix College (AR) Millsaps College (MS). The SCAC is the most recent NCAA conference to add flag football as a sponsored sport, ahead of the January 2026 vote to add it to the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women Program.
Over 220 schools are expected to compete during the 2025-26 academic year, including more than 100 new programs. The 2026-27 academic year already has three dozen new teams lined up, with that number set to grow in the coming months.
Conclusion:The rapid expansion of women’s flag football at the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA levels highlights the growing demand and institutional support for the sport. With new teams launching, conferences embracing the game, and partnerships forming with major organizations like the Minnesota Vikings, the landscape of women’s collegiate athletics is evolving. Tutorial Videos available on You Tube.