Indiana Tech, Providence, and Rochester Christian Adding Flag Football; Tampa Joining NIRSA
Indiana Institute of Technology and Rochester Christian University (MI) will add varsity women's flag football teams beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. Both schools are in the process of hiring a head coach to recruit during the 2026-27 academic year. Jessie Biggs, Indiana Tech Director of Athletics, stated:
"We are thrilled to add women's flag football to our athletic department. The momentum around the sport has been rapidly growing at the NAIA level, and we are excited to bring a nationally thriving sport to Indiana Tech."
Dr. Jaime Cuellar, Rochester Christian's Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics & Strategic Enrollment, said:
"Launching Women's Flag Football is about more than adding a program — it's about creating new opportunities for young women to compete, grow, and be part of the Warrior family. This sport is exploding in popularity at the collegiate level, and we're proud to be ahead of that curve. I'm grateful to our CFO, our assistant ADs, and our SWA for their partnership in making this happen, and I'm excited for what these student-athletes will build here at RCU."
Both schools are from the NAIA's Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC), which now has four varsity women's flag football programs. Defiance College (OH) and the University of Northwestern Ohio are both competing in the upcoming season as affiliates of the Mid-South Conference. Lourdes University (OH) was scheduled to add a team for 2026-27, but the school closed earlier this year. Siena Heights University (MI) competed in the last two seasons, but the school also closed at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
60 varsity programs are set to compete in the NAIA for the 2027 spring season, but that number is already growing for the 2028 season. Indiana Tech and Rochester Christian will join Culver-Stockton College (MO), Faulkner University (AL), and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (IN) as new NAIA women's flag football programs in 2027-28.
Providence Adding Club Team
Providence College (RI) will add a student-run women's flag football club team for the 2026-27 academic year. Providence is the first club or varsity team in the state of Rhode Island.
Providence's varsity teams compete in the NCAA Division I Big East Conference, which now has two stuent-run women's flag football club teams. The other is the University of Connecticut, which competed in the 2026 spring season.
Club teams are exploding across NCAA Division I, with a vast majority being student-run. Nearly 85 club teams are expected to compete in the 2026-27 academic year, including over 60 in the two new club leagues being launched by the NCFA and NIRSA. Speaking of NIRSA...
Tampa Joining NIRSA
The University of Tampa (FL) will compete in NIRSA's Women's Flag Football Club League for the 2026-27 academic year. Tampa joins fellow in-state school Atlantis University as the latest member to join NIRSA. In total, 52 teams have been announced, with more expected over the coming weeks.
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. October 1 is the deadline for club teams to sign up for the league.