Georgia Highlands Adding Varsity Women's Flag Football
Georgia Highlands College will transition its club flag football team to varsity status beginning with the 2027 season. The school confirmed the news to Collegiate Flag Football in an email and stated the team will play as a club for the 2026 season. Georgia Highlands is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), with its main campus located in Rome, Georgia.
The Chargers are at least the second NJCAA school in Georgia to add flag football, following Andrew College. Both Andrew and Georgia Highlands compete in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA). The Chargers are currently coached by Clifton Puckett. 24 NJCAA schools are expected to have a club or varsity program next year, and more than 200 collegiate programs will compete during the 2026 spring season, with 90 set to make their debut next year.
15 states have sanctioned flag football at the high school level: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington. 17 states have a pilot program, including Louisiana, Indiana, and Missouri. The growth in high school participation has also spilled over into the collegiate ranks.
The NCAA is proposing that it enter the Emerging Sports for Women program. Eventually, the sport could become an official NCAA championship sport at all three divisions. The NAIA already has more than two dozen varsity programs, led by the KCAC and the Sun Conference. The Atlantic East Conference (NCAA D-III), CIAA (NCAA D-II), Conference Carolinas (NCAA D-II), Empire 8 (NCAA D-III), and United East Conference (NCAA D-III) will sponsor flag football for the 2026 season. The NJCAA's Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) will begin sponsoring the sport in 2026.
Globally, flag football is set to make its Olympic debut in 2028 when Los Angeles hosts the games. The NFL announced that its players will be able to participate if selected for the roster. In May 2025, the US named its National Flag Football rosters, which are set to compete in several international tournaments later this year. The NFL has also helped support flag football with many franchises funding initiatives all around the country.