05/19/26 04:03:00
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05/19 16:02 CDT Women's flag football on track to gain NCAA championship status
before sport makes its Olympic debut
Women's flag football on track to gain NCAA championship status before sport
makes its Olympic debut
By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer
Women's flag football is on track to gaining NCAA championship status. If all
goes according to plan, a title game may even take place right before the sport
makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games.
The NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact voted Tuesday to recommend
that Divisions I, II and III add a national collegiate flag football
championship as soon as the spring of 2028.
Although not official yet, it's a giant step toward NCAA championship inclusion
for women's flag football. In order to be recommended, 40 schools need to
sponsor it at the varsity level. More than 100 schools have been planning to
compete during the next academic year, according to the NCAA.
"Today is a landmark day for collegiate athletics, as women's flag football
officially becomes an NCAA championship sport," said Marion Terenzio, chair of
the Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact Emerging Sport Subcommittee and
president at SUNY Cobleskill. "This step recognizes a sport whose growth,
competitiveness and national momentum have been impossible to ignore. Elevating
flag football to championship status affirms that progress and opens new doors
for women to compete at the highest level."
The next steps for adding an NCAA flag football title game include each
division reviewing the recommendation and sponsoring a proposal by July 1.
Should that occur, the divisions will vote in January 2027, with all three
divisions required to approve for a championship to be held. There would also
be the formation of a committee to oversee NCAA women's flag football.
Women's flag football is looking to join a list of sports that have gained NCAA
championship status through the Emerging Sports for Women program. That
includes rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003),
beach volleyball (2015), wrestling (2025), acrobatics and tumbling (2026) and
stunt (2026).
"The momentum behind the game reflects the passion of athletes, coaches,
administrators and partners across the country who have embraced flag football
and invested in creating more opportunities for female athletes," said Izell
Reese, founder and CEO of RCX Sports, the official operator of NFL FLAG. "We're
excited to continue working alongside the NCAA, NFL and school leaders to help
accelerate that growth and build sustainable pathways for the next generation."
Jacqie McWilliams Parker, chair of the Committee on Access, Opportunity, added:
"Girls want to play. Whenever you give access and opportunity to an easier way
to play, the better the success and numbers in participation you see."
The International Olympic Committee voted in 2023 to include flag football,
along with cricket, baseball-softball, lacrosse and squash, on the Olympic
program for Los Angeles.
The participation in flag football on the female side is skyrocketing. More
than 20 states have now sanctioned it as a girls' high school varsity sport and
NFL clubs voted in December 2025 to support the launch of a professional flag
football league.
It's filtering down to all ages, too. The number of girls ages 6 to 12 playing
flag football has increased by 283% from 2015 to 2024, according to USA
Football research.
"This is great news for flag football," USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck said.
"Growing the game is central to our mission, and the potential for women's flag
football to have a fully recognized NCAA championship does exactly that."
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