CCC Adding Flag Football, High Point Among a Dozen New Club Teams
Central Community College in Nebraska is adding a varsity women's flag football team. The school will hire a head coach to lead the program before determining when it will begin competition, but is aiming for the 2026-27 academic year. The school also announced the additions of women's beach volleyball and golf. Athletic director Mary Young stated:
"We are excited to expand our athletic offerings at Central Community College. These programs create new opportunities for student-athletes and positions CCC to emerge as a forward-thinking institution. We are proud to be the first community college in Nebraska to offer beach volleyball and flag football, setting a new standard for innovation and student-athlete opportunity in the state."
CCC will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), which is set to have over 30 programs next season. Alexandria Technical and Community College (MN), Camden County College (NJ), Jackson State Community College (TN), Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland (NJ), and Richard Bland College (VA) previously announced that new programs will begin in the 2026-27 academic year.
CCC is the fifth school in Nebraska to add flag football, but Midland University (NAIA) is currently the only one competing in the 2026 spring season. That will change with Hastings College (NAIA) and College of Saint Mary (NAIA) set to join the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) in spring 2027. The University of Nebraska is also adding a flag football team, with its first varsity season set for the 2027-28 academic year. The Huskers will be led by the Sowers Sisters, who are set to depart the KCAC's Ottawa Braves (KS) at the conclusion of the 2026 spring season.
High Point Adding Club Team
High Point University (NC) will add a women's flag football club team beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. HPU is one of many new teams to crop up on social media over the past several weeks across multiple governing bodies. According to Dr. Stephen Denny, High Point's Director of Intercollegiate Club Sports, the addition was due to future enrollees.
"We are aware of several female athletes enrolled for next year that want to play flag football and come from a competitive high school experience. We also know there are several still considering High Point University, just waiting for this announcement. Finalizing a head coach this week with a strategic plan for establishing an excellent program, we couldn't be more excited to get this program added to the HPU athletic experience."
High Point is a member of the NCAA Division I Big South Conference, which itself has seen multiple new teams announced in 2026. The conference now has six club or varsity programs. Radford University (VA) announced a club team in May 2025, which began competing this spring. Big South Commissioner Sherika Montgomery discussed the possibility of more conference members adding flag football in October 2025.
That possibility came to fruition in January when Charleston Southern University (SC) announced a varsity team for the 2027-28 academic year. The University of South Carolina Upstate announced at the end of January that it would add a varsity team beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. In February, the University of North Carolina at Asheville announced a club for the 2026-27 academic year, with the plan to elevate it to varsity status in the future. Gardner-Webb University (NC) announced the addition of a varsity team in February, but did not provide a definitive timeline.
Additional NCAA Club Teams On the Horizon
This spring has seen an uptick in the number of student-run flag football club teams building their foundation to compete. A few new clubs have already scheduled games for this spring, including Montana State University, Syracuse University (NY), the University of Indiana, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Pennsylvania.
The other NCAA Division I schools adding club teams are Boise State University (ID), Harvard University (MA), North Carolina A&T University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of California, Davis. Two NCAA D-II schools are planning to add club teams: Adelphi University (NY) and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The majority of schools are likely to begin competing in the 2026-27 academic year, although it depends on the clubs becoming approved RSOs (Recognized/Registered Student Organizations).
Club teams are becoming increasingly popular at NCAA Division I schools. More than 70 clubs are expected to compete in the 2026-27 academic year at the D-I level alone. There are also an increasing number of ways for club teams to compete in tournaments, including the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), National Collegiate Flag Football League (NCFFL), National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), and Women's Collegiate Flag Football League (WCFFL).
Trio of CCCAA Teams Added
Three schools from the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA/3C2A) have or will add flag football teams. Modesto Junior College began competing this season, with a pair of games against Diablo Valley College played earlier this month. Reedley College also offers women's flag football, while Pasadena City College is planning to add a varsity team for the 2026-27 academic year.