Bridgewater College Adding Women's Flag Football
Bridgewater College (VA) will add a varsity women's flag football team and begin competing in the 2026-27 academic year. The Eagles are the sixth team to announce a new program this week, following Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ), Mercy University (NY), Missouri Valley College (MO), Sweet Briar College (VA), and the University of Illinois Springfield.
Bridgewater is the fifth team from the NCAA Division III Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) to add a flag football team. In addition to Bridgewater and Sweet Briar, Guilford College (NC), Hollins University (VA), and Virginia Wesleyan University offer the sport. Bridgewater's press release noted that the ODAC is working towards sponsoring flag football in the future, as several additional conference members plan to add varsity teams.
Should the ODAC officially add flag football, it would join a growing number of NCAA conferences to sponsor the sport. The Atlantic East Conference (NCAA Division III), CIAA (D-II), Conference Carolinas (D-II), Eastern College Athletic Conference (D-I, D-II, and D-III), Empire 8 (D-III), and United East Conference (D-III) will sponsor it during the 2026 spring season. The American Southwest Conference (D-III), Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) will begin sponsoring the sport in spring 2027.
The state of Virginia has 12 flag football programs. 9 schools are competing during the 2025-26 academic year: Bluefield State University (NCAA D-II), Ferrum College (D-II), Hollins University (D-III), Marymount University (D-III), Norfolk State University (D-I), Radford University (D-I), University of Virginia (D-I), Virginia Union University (D-II), and Virginia Wesleyan University (D-III). Joining them in 2026-27 will be Bridgewater College (D-III), Richard Bland College (NJCAA), and Sweet Briar College (D-III).
Over 60 schools have announced the addition of flag football to begin competition in the 2026-27 academic year. 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.