Albright College Adding Women's Flag Football
Albright College will add a varsity women's flag football team and begin competing in the 2027 spring season. Albright is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, and is a member of the NCAA Division III Middle Atlantic Conference. They are the second MAC Commonwealth school to add flag football, following Eastern University (PA).
With Albright adding flag football, Pennsylvania has taken a slim lead in the total number of collegiate flag football programs. Pennsylvania has 25 teams, one more than Florida at 24, and two higher than New York at 23. California and North Carolina are a joint-fourth at 16 teams each.
More than 215 colleges will participate in flag football during the 2026 spring season, including 95 debuting programs. Beyond 2026, there are already nearly a dozen new teams lined up the spring 2027 season. Joining Albright in 2027 will be Blackburn (IL), Lourdes (OH), Meredith (NC), Oklahoma Wesleyan (OK), Ripon (WI), Saint Mary (NE), Saginaw Valley State (MI), and UT Arlington (TX).
The NCAA is proposing that it enter the Emerging Sports for Women program. Eventually, the sport could become an official NCAA championship sport at all three divisions. The Atlantic East Conference (NCAA D-III), CIAA (NCAA D-II), Conference Carolinas (NCAA D-II), Empire 8 (NCAA D-III), and United East Conference (NCAA D-III) will sponsor flag football for the 2026 season.
The NJCAA's Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) will begin sponsoring the sport in 2026 alongside the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA). The NAIA already has more than two dozen varsity programs, led by the KCAC and the Sun Conference, with the Great Southwest Athletic Conference joining in 2026.
15 states have sanctioned flag football at the high school level: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington. 17 states have a pilot program, including Louisiana, Indiana, and Missouri.
Globally, flag football is set to make its Olympic debut in 2028 when Los Angeles hosts the games and NFL announced players are able to participate if selected for the roster. In May 2025, the US named its National Flag Football rosters, which are set to compete in several international tournaments later this year. The NFL has also helped support flag football with many franchises funding initiatives all around the country, including collegiate programs.