Anna Maria and St. John Fisher Adding Flag Football Teams

Two NCAA Division III schools announced the addition of varsity women's flag football teams. Anna Maria College (MA) and St. John Fisher University (NY) will add their teams for the 2026-27 academic year. Both schools have started the head coaching search.

Anna Maria is the first member of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) to add a club or varsity program. The AMCATS are the second school in Massachusetts to add a program, following Roxbury Community College. Roxbury is a member of the NJCAA and will start competing in the 2026 spring season.

St. John Fisher becomes the sixth member of the NCAA Division III Empire 8 Conference to add the sport. The other five E8 programs are Elmira College (NY), Hartwick College (NY), Russell Sage College (NY), SUNY Brockport (NY), and SUNY Geneseo (NY). St. John Fisher will join a growing list of New York institutions to sponsor flag football. There are 26 current teams and at least another 7 teams lined up to add programs in future years.

Over 240 flag football clubs and varsity programs are expected to compete during the 2025-26 academic year. The number of teams will grow to more than 300 in 2026-27 as over 60 schools across the country have or will announce the addition of flag football. 24 of those new teams will compete in NCAA D-III.

The growth among the NCAA Division III members is indicative of the sport's overall trend. All three NCAA divisions have recommended that flag football be added to the Emerging Sports for Women Program, with a vote expected at the NCAA's convention in January 2026. The NFL is expected to announce new professional flag leagues and flag football will make its Olympic debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.