Meredith College Adding Flag Football
Meredith College is adding a women's flag football team. The college is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is the first school from the NCAA Division III USA South Athletic Conference to add the sport at a club or varsity level. Meredith is also the first NCAA Division III school from North Carolina to add the sport.
The Avenging Angels will begin competing in the 2027 spring season, likely as an independent team. While Meredith did not name a head coach, it stated that the process of finding the program's first head coach is underway. The college will join a growing list of teams from North Carolina, which now boasts 16 club and varsity programs.
Nearly 100 schools are already planning to add flag football for the next two academic years. Meredith's first season in 2027 will also see Blackburn (IL), Lourdes (OH), Ripon (WI), Saint Mary (NE), Saginaw Valley State (MI), and UT Arlington (TX) make their flag football debut. The 2026 spring season will see over 200 teams compete across all governing bodies.
The NCAA noticed flag football's growth and is proposing that it enter the Emerging Sports for Women program. Eventually, the sport could become an official NCAA championship sport at all three divisions. The NAIA already has more than two dozen varsity programs, led by the KCAC and the Sun Conference. The Atlantic East Conference (NCAA D-III), CIAA (NCAA D-II), Conference Carolinas (NCAA D-II), Empire 8 (NCAA D-III), and United East Conference (NCAA D-III) will sponsor flag football for the 2026 season.
Flag football is also growing beyond the college ranks. 15 states have sanctioned flag football at the high school level: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington. Louisiana approved a pilot program earlier this year, while Indiana and Missouri both designated it an emerging sport.
Then there's the global growth, with flag football set to make its Olympic debut in 2028 when Los Angeles hosts the games. The NFL announced that its players will be able to participate if selected for the roster. Earlier this week, the US named its National Flag Football rosters, which are set to compete in several international tournaments later this year.