Georgia Southern, Old Dominion, Plymouth State, Westcliff Add Flag Football Teams; 6 Additional Club Changes
Georgia Southern University, Old Dominion University (VA), and Plymouth State University (NH) will add student-run club teams beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Those three new clubs will compete in the NIRSA Women's Flag Football Club Leagues. Four other established club teams will also join the NIRSA Leagues next year: Duke University (NC), North Carolina State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Georgia Southern and Old Dominion are both members of the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. The Sun Belt has three schools that offer flag football, with the third being Coastal Carolina University (SC). All three plan to compete in the NIRSA leagues for the 2026-27 academic year.
Plymouth State is a member of the NCAA Division III Little East Conference. Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth also offer flag football. ECSU will begin competing at the varsity level in 2026-27, while UMass Dartmouth will compete at the club level in 2026-27 and become a varsity program in the 2027-28 academic year.
These seven additions push NIRSA to 31 club programs for the 2026-27 academic year. NIRSA and the NFL announced a partnership earlier in May, which included an initial list of 14 club teams: 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.
Earlier this week, another 10 schools were reported to be joining the NIRSA Leagues: 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.
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.
Westcliff Adding Varsity Flag Football
Westcliff University (CA) will add a varsity women's flag football program. The school did not state in the press release when the team would begin competing. Westcliff Athletic Director Cesar Rivas stated:
"We are incredibly excited to officially launch Women's Flag Football and STUNT at Westcliff University. These are two of the fastest-growing women's sports in the country, and we believe the timing is perfect for Westcliff and Warrior Nation to be part of that momentum.
Orange County and Southern California have quickly become a hotbed for elite women's flag football talent. The next order of business for us is hiring an outstanding head coach who can build a championship culture and lead this program from day one."
Westcliff is the second school from the NAIA's California Pacific Conference to offer flag football. The other program is Simpson University (CA), which competes in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference as an affiliate member. California has the most collegiate flag football programs in the US, with more than 40. Pennsylvania is the second highest at 38, followed by New York at 36.
Two Club Teams to Compete in NCFA
Spelman College (GA) and the University of Virginia will both compete in the National Club Football Association (NCFA) during the 2026-27 academic year. The NCFA now has 14 schools lined up for the next academic year.
The other 12 schools that will compete are Florida State University, Georgia College & State University, Grand Canyon University (AZ), High Point University (NC), Long Beach State University (CA), Purdue University Fort Wayne (IN), Syracuse University (NY), Texas Southern University, the University at Albany (NY), the University of Connecticut, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Vermont.
The NCFA will launch in the 2026-27 academic year, with plans to have close to 32 teams. The league will be separated into four regions, with conference games scheduled throughout the fall and spring semesters. The winners of the four regional playoffs will meet in the national championship at the end of April 2027.
For club teams interested in competing in the NCFA during the 2026-27 academic year, please reach out to Sandy Sanderson via email at Sandy.Sanderson@CollClubSports.com.