Heart of America Athletic Conference to Sponsor Flag Football in 2027
The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) will sponsor a women's flag football championship beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. The first championship will take place in spring 2027, with additional details to follow at a later date.
The HAAC is the fifth conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to sponsor flag football and the second conference to announce a championship in the past eight days. The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) announced it will sponsor a flag football championship in the spring of 2027 last week.
The inaugural HAAC spring championship for 2027 currently comprises six teams. Baker University (KS), Graceland University (IA), and William Woods University (MO) compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), but will join the HAAC in 2027. Missouri Baptist University, Missouri Valley College (MO), and William Penn University (IA) will launch new programs in spring 2027.
The KCAC will still have a solid contingent of 11 programs in 2027. Bethel College (KS), Cottey College (MO), Hesston College (KS), Kansas Wesleyan University, Midland University (NE), Ottawa University (KS), Southwestern College (KS), and the University of Saint Mary (KS) already have established programs. The College of Saint Mary (NE), McPherson College (KS), and Oklahoma Wesleyan University previously announced the addition of flag football teams for the 2027 spring season.
The KCAC and Sun Conference have been competing in the NAIA since the first season in 2021. The Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC) takes the field for the first time in spring 2026, as the NAIA is moving flag football to an invitational sport starting with the 2026 season. The NAIA's 2026 postseason tournament will be qualification-based, with the format still to be confirmed.
The next step for flag football at the NAIA level is to reach championship status, which requires at least 30 varsity teams, completion of two invitational tournaments, and approval by the National Administrative Council (NAC). It's increasingly likely that flag football will be an NAIA Championship Sport by the spring 2028 season.