Iona, Missouri Southern State Add Club Flag Football Teams

Two NCAA schools are adding flag football teams for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year. Iona University (New Rochelle, New York) and Missouri Southern State University (Joplin, Missouri) will compete as club teams for the 2026 season. There will be over 210 collegiate club or varsity flag football teams for the 2026 spring season, including more than 90 new programs.

Iona will become the second Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member to add flag football. Mount St. Mary's (MD) has a varsity program, which will compete in the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas during the 2026 spring season. Iona becomes the 23rd school in New York to add the sport, which puts the state behind Pennsylvania (24) and Florida (24).

Missouri Southern State is the first Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) school to add a varsity or club team. MSSU's flag football team will become a varsity program for the 2027 season. There are three other flag football programs in Missouri: Cottey College (NAIA), North Central Missouri College (NJCAA), and William Woods University (NAIA).

Earlier this week, Georgia Highlands College (NJCAA) announced that its team will become a varsity program for the 2027 season. In the NAIA, the Great Southwest Athletic Conference announced it will sponsor flag football for the 2026 spring season with six inaugural members. The GSAC is the third NAIA conference to sponsor the sport and will be one of at least 10 conferences across the collegiate governing bodies for next season.

The NCAA is proposing that it enter the Emerging Sports for Women program. Eventually, the sport could become an official NCAA championship sport in all three divisions. Five NCAA conferences will sponsor flag football in 2026: the Atlantic East Conference (NCAA D-III), CIAA (D-II), Conference Carolinas (D-II), Empire 8 (D-III), and United East Conference (D-III).