SIAC to Sponsor Flag Football in Spring 2027
The NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) will begin sponsoring women's flag football beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. SIAC Commissioner Dr. Anthony Holloman announced the news on the HBCU Gameday podcast.
"The SIAC will play flag football in 26-27. I think now we have 10 teams committed. We're excited about that. A 12-game season, with a conference championship. The state of Georgia, in particular, has 6,000+ girls playing flag football. It's going to be awesome for our institutions to offer the sport for young ladies that have interest. I think you'll see that we will be competing against the CIAA. I think the MEAC has one or two schools and the SWAC has one or two. We're all in and we're excited for flag football."
Holloman confirmed the sport will be played in the spring, which is the traditional spot on the calendar for most college flag football conferences. Holloman noted that the NCAA has made flag football an emerging sport, and he expects a collegiate championship tournament in the near future.
Holloman did not name the 10 schools for the 2026-27 academic year, but two conference members previously announced new flag football programs. Edward Waters University (FL) announced a program in February, while Spring Hill College (AL) announced one in January. Spring Hill will move from the SIAC to the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference as a full member beginning with the 2027-28 academic year.
The SIAC has 12 other schools that could add programs for the 2026-27 academic year: Albany State (GA), Allen (SC), Benedict (SC), Central State (OH), Clark Atlanta (GA), Fort Valley State (GA), Kentucky State, Lane (TN), LeMoyne-Owen (TN), Miles (AL), Savannah State (GA), and Tuskegee (AL). Morehouse College (GA) also competes in the SIAC, but is a men's college and doesn't sponsor any women's sports.
The SIAC is one of two HBCU conferences to offer flag football. The NCAA D-II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) has sponsored flag football since the 2024-25 academic year. The 2025 and 2026 seasons were contested at the club level, with the CIAA set to elevate the sport to varsity status in the 2026-27 academic year.
The SIAC joins a growing list of NCAA conferences to offer the sport. The multi-divisional Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) offered the sport for the first time in spring 2026, as did the D-III Atlantic East Conference, D-II Conference Carolinas, D-III Empire 8, and D-III United East Conference.
In 2026-27, the SIAC will compete for the first time alongside the D-III American Southwest Conference, D-II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), and D-III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). The list will expand to include the NCAA Division I Big South Conference in 2027-28.
The D-I Big 12 Conference, D-III Middle Atlantic Conference, D-III Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, and D-III Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) are all working towards sponsoring flag football in the coming years. More conferences are expected to add flag football beyond those listed above.