Biola, George Fox, NC Wesleyan, Sioux Falls, and Thomas More Adding Flag Football
Biola University (CA) will add a varsity women's flag football team beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. Biola will begin searching for a head coach in the coming weeks. Dr. Bethany Miller, Associate Vice President for Student Development and Senior Director of Athletics, stated:
"Launching women's flag football strongly aligns with our vision for Biola Athletics. It is an exciting opportunity for our university and for the young women who will build the foundation of this program. Biola is ideally positioned to introduce women's flag football at a time when the sport is experiencing tremendous growth both locally and around the world."
Biola is the second institution from the NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference to add the sport. Hawaii Pacific University will begin competing at the varsity level in the 2026-27 academic year. Nearly 50 schools in California offer club or varsity women's flag football teams. Biola is not the only NCAA D-II school to announce a new women's flag football team this week...
George Fox Becomes First NWC School to Add Flag
George Fox University (OR) will add women's flag football beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. The program will compete at the club level for the 2028 and 2029 spring seasons before elevating to varsity status in the 2029-30 academic year. Adam Puckett, director of athletics, stated:
"Anytime we can provide more opportunities for women to play sports is exciting. We are thrilled to give female student-athletes another venue to compete, excel, and grow in Christlike character as we build this program from the ground up."
The school plans to have 30 athletes on the roster and play 24 games annually. George Fox is the first school from the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference to add a club or varsity program. The Bruins are the second college in Oregon to add flag football, following the state's flagship at the University of Oregon.
North Carolina Wesleyan Adding Varsity Team
North Carolina Wesleyan University will add a varsity women's flag football program beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. The school named Kenny Inge as the inaugural head coach. John Thompson, Director of Athletics, said:
"North Carolina Wesleyan is excited to announce that we will be starting a new athletic program, Women's Flag Football, in Spring 2028. An emerging sport over the last several years, flag football is rapidly growing, and we believe the time is right to add to our sport offerings for women."
"We are excited to bring this growing sport to North Carolina Wesleyan and to provide another opportunity for women student-athletes to compete at the collegiate level. We look forward to building a strong program and welcoming our inaugural student-athletes to Wesleyan."
NC Wesleyan is the second school in the NCAA Division III USA South Athletic Conference to add a program. Meredith College (NC) will launch a varsity women's flag football program in the 2026-27 academic year. North Carolina has more than two dozen college club and varsity flag football teams.
NCAA D-III has the most varsity programs, with more than 70 expected to compete in the spring 2027 season. That number will likely exceed 100 by the start of the 2028 spring season, as more than 25 varsity teams will launch in 2028.
Sioux Falls Adding Varsity Flag Football
The University of Sioux Falls (SD) will add a varsity women's flag football program beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. USF is currently accepting applications for the head coaching position. Emily DeGroot, the Associate Athletic Director and SWA, had this to say about the addition of flag football:
"USF has always been committed to creating and providing opportunities for students, and women's flag football is an exciting opportunity to do just that. The growth of this sport nationally and locally is significant, and we want to be part of that momentum. We're extremely excited to launch this program and provide more young women the opportunity to compete, grow and be part of Cougar Athletics."
Sioux Falls is the first team from the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) to add a varsity women's flag football team. Two other schools offer club programs: Augustana University (SD) and Minnesota State University, Mankato. Augustana and Sioux Falls are currently the only two collegiate women's flag football programs in the state.
Thomas More Adding Varsity Flag Football
Thomas More University (KY) will add a varsity women's flag football team beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. The school has already started searching for a head coach. Terry Connor, Vice President and Director of Athletics, added:
"Adding women's flag football is about creating another opportunity for young women to discover their talents, develop as leaders, build meaningful relationships, and become part of the Thomas More community. This program reflects our commitment to educating the whole person and creating opportunities for our students to grow through competition, teamwork, service, and leadership. We believe women's flag football can become another meaningful expression of what it means to be a Thomas More Saint."
Thomas More is the second school in the NCAA Division II Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) to add a women's flag football program. Ursuline College (OH) began competing in the 2025-26 academic year. Five schools now sponsor women's club or varsity flag football programs in Kentucky: Campbellsville University (NAIA), Eastern Kentucky University (NCAA D-I Club), Lindsey Wilson University (NAIA), Midway University (NAIA), and Thomas More.
For 2027-28, Biola, Sioux Falls, and Thomas More join eight other NCAA D-II institutions in adding varsity women's flag football programs: Eckerd College (FL), Franklin Pierce University (NH), Henderson State University (AR), Lincoln Memorial University (TN), Molloy University (NY), North Greenville University (SC), Quincy University (IL), and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Two Clubs Joining NIRSA
Two more schools will compete in NIRSA's Women's Flag Football Club League for the 2026-27 academic year: Florida Gulf Coast University and UC San Diego. NIRSA noted that 70 club teams have committed to the inaugural flag football club season.
More details regarding the schedules and end-of-season championship set for April 2027 will be provided at a later date. Teams interested in competing in NIRSA's women's flag football club league can reach out to National Flag Football Manager Nik Sandona via email at nik.sandona@nirsa.org. October 1 is the deadline for club teams to sign up for the league.