Knox Adding Flag Football, Lakeland Starting in 2027, Newberry to Join Conference Carolinas

Knox College (IL) will add women's flag football beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Knox will play the first season as a club team and plans to elevate to varsity status in the 2027-28 academic year.

Knox is a member of the NCAA Division III Midwest Conference. Four other MWC schools have previously announced a flag football team, including Beloit College (WI), Cornell College (IA), Illinois College, and Ripon College (WI). Illinois College will compete in the 2025-26 academic year, while the other four will compete in 2026-27. The Midwest Conference could begin sponsoring flag football if another school adds a varsity team.

Illinois has 14 flag football programs with Knox's announcement. Aurora University (NCAA D-III), Benedictine University (D-III), Blackburn University (D-III), College of DuPage (NJCAA), Eureka College (D-III), Illinois College (D-III), Illinois Wesleyan University (D-III), Lewis University (D-II), Millikin University (D-III), North Park University (D-III), Rockford University (D-III), Triton College (NJCAA), and the University of Illinois Springfield (D-II) are the 13 schools that previously announced the addition of flag football. Greenville University (D-III) is in the process of hiring a coach, but hasn't made an official announcement regarding the addition of a flag football team.

Lakeland University (WI) has pushed back its start date from spring 2026 to spring 2027. The school recently announced Zach Finer as the flag football head coach, but noted that the team will compete with a full roster in the 2026-27 academic year. Lakeland previously planned to start playing in the 2025-26 academic year.

Also occurring in spring 2027 will be Newberry College (SC) joining the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas as an affiliate member. Newberry announced the addition of flag football in December, with the first season expected to take place this spring.

Newberry will become the 12th flag football team to compete in the Conference Carolinas, joining Barton College (NC), Chowan University (NC), Emmanuel University (GA), Erskine College (SC), Ferrum College (VA), King University (TN), Lees-McRae College (NC), Mars Hill University (NC), Mount St. Mary's University (MD), the University of Mount Olive (NC), and Wingate University (NC).

While there will be more than 245 club and varsity flag football programs competing during the 2025-26 academic year, the 2026-27 academic year is poised for continued growth. Over 60 schools have announced the addition of flag football for the spring 2027 season, a number that is expected to increase now that the NCAA has officially added the sport to the Emerging Sports for Women program. The impact has already been felt when Nebraska became the first NCAA Division I Power 4 school to announce a varsity team and the NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) will sponsor varsity competition in 2026-27.