UNC Asheville and USC Upstate Adding Women's Flag Football
Two NCAA Division I schools from the Big South Conference have announced the addition of women's flag football teams. The University of North Carolina at Asheville and the University of South Carolina Upstate will both begin competing in the 2026-27 academic year.
UNC Asheville announced the addition of a women's flag football club team. The school will start competing in the 2026-27 academic year and plans to elevate the team to varsity status in the future. No estimated timeline was provided for when the flag football team may reach varsity status. USC Upstate will also begin competing in the 2026-27 academic year, but will do so as a varsity program.
The Big South has four schools offering flag football, including three announcements in the previous week. Last week, Charleston Southern University (SC) announced the addition of a varsity team for the 2027-28 academic year. Radford University (VA) announced a club team in May 2025. Big South Commissioner Sherika Montgomery stated in October 2025 that "three-to-four member institutions were actively engaging in discussions with NFL representatives" about adding flag football.
UNC Asheville and USC Upstate are two of 14 NCAA Division I schools that currently offer a varsity program or will do so in the future. The other 12 include: Alabama State University, Cal Poly (CA), Charleston Southern (SC), Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ), Long Island University (NY), Manhattan University (NY), Mercyhurst University (PA), Mount St. Mary's University (MD), Mississippi Valley State University, the University of Nebraska, the University of North Alabama, and the University of Texas at Arlington also have varsity teams.
UNC Asheville is now one of 18 schools in North Carolina to add a flag football team. The Bulldogs will be one of three teams in the state to start competing in the 2026-27 academic year, alongside NCAA Division III programs Guilford College and Meredith College.
Seven schools offer flag football in South Carolina, including USC Upstate. The other six are Charleston Southern (D-I), Claflin University (D-II Club), Clemson University (D-I Club), Coastal Carolina University (D-I Club), Erskine College (D-II), and Newberry College (D-II).
All three NCAA divisions added flag football to the Emerging Sport for Women program in January, providing a pathway to reach NCAA Championship status in the future. Over 50 NCAA schools are adding flag football programs in the coming years, with that number expected to rise.