Bryant & Stratton Syracuse and Central Alabama Adding Flag Football; Two More Clubs Joining NIRSA
Bryant & Stratton College's Syracuse campus will add a women's flag football club team for the 2026-27 academic year. The team will be elevated to varsity status beginning with the 2027-28 academic year.
BSC's Syracuse campus is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The USCAA has nearly a dozen club or varsity women's flag football teams, including two other BSC campuses in New York: Albany and Buffalo. Fellow USCAA members Five Towns College (NY) and Grace University (CA) are also planning to launch flag football teams in the 2026-27 academic year.
New York has over three dozen club or varsity women's flag football programs, including future teams. It's currently the second-most of any state in the US, behind California, which has nearly 50.
Central Alabama CC Adding Flag Football, Names Coach
Central Alabama Community College will add a varsity women's flag football team and has named Thomas Sowell as the program's inaugural head coach. Sowell has coached the girls flag football team at Marbury High School in Deatsville, Alabama.
While a timeline was not provided, Central Alabama will likely play in the 2026-27 academic year as a member of the NJCAA's Alabama Community College Conference. It was reported last fall that the ACCC was planning to expand to 12 teams and introduce divisions for the fall 2026 season. Wallace State won the inaugural title in November 2025 by defeating Shetlon State 27-6.
Seven teams competed in the 2025 fall season: Bishop State, Calhoun, Lurleen B. Wallace, Northwest Shoals, Snead State, Shelton State, and Wallace State. That number will be at least 8, as Enterprise State will launch a program in the 2026-27 academic year, and Central Alabama would make it 9. Trenholm State is in the process of hiring a head coach, but it is not certain that the flag football team will begin competing in the 2026 fall season.
Cal and Delaware State Joining NIRSA
The Cal Golden Bears and Delaware State University Hornets will compete in the NIRSA Women's Flag Football League for the 2026-27 academic year. Cal and DSU are the 38th and 39th schools to join NIRSA's new league this month, following Indiana's announcement late last week.
The original announcement regarding the partnership with the NFL had an initial list of 14 schools: Bowling Green State University (OH), Clemson University (SC), Coastal Carolina University (SC), Florida Atlantic University, Grand Canyon University (AZ), North Carolina A&T State University, Pennsylvania State University, Radford University (VA), Texas Southern University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of North Florida, and University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
The list grew to 24 when another 10 schools were announced for the 2026-27 academic year: Arizona State University, Florida State University, North Carolina Central University, the University of Albany (NY), the University of Colorado, the University of Denver (CO), the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), the University of Nevada, Reno, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of South Florida.
Another 7 additions pushed the tally to 31: Duke University (NC), Georgia Southern University, North Carolina State University, Old Dominion University (VA), Plymouth State University (NH), the University of Michigan, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 5 more additions pushed the league up to 36 teams ahead of Indiana's announcement: Florida International University, Georgia College & State University, the University of Arizona, UCLA, and the University of Delaware.
At least 50 teams are expected to compete in the NIRSA Women's Flag Football League, but that number could climb higher in the fall. 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.