West Alabama Adding Women's Flag Football

The University of West Alabama will add a varsity women's flag football team beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. West Alabama is the first school from the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference to add a club or varsity program.

West Alabama is the second school from the state to add flag football this week. North Alabama announced it would also add flag football in the 2026-27 academic year. UWA is the 11th school in Alabama to add the sport. Seven NJCAA schools, NCAA Division I Alabama State, and NCAA Division III Huntingdon College have already established flag football programs.

West Alabama is the fifth NCAA Division II school planning to add flag football beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Caldwell University (NJ), Goldey-Beacom College (DE), Point Park University (PA), and Saginaw Valley State University (MI) are also slated to add a varsity program. Over 40 club and varsity programs are slated to compete at the NCAA D-II level in 2026-27, with additional schools expected to add programs.

It's been a busy week of colleges adding flag football. In addition to the announcements by North and West Alabama, Cornell College in Iowa and Wesleyan College in Georgia are also adding a team for 2026-27. Nearly three dozen schools are adding a flag football team in the 2026-27 academic year.

Over 100 schools are adding flag football for the 2025-26 academic year at the club or varsity level. The growth of the sport has pushed the total number of teams expected to compete this academic year above 200. The NCAA is expected to be added to the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women Program early in 2026 and could achieve NCAA Championship status in 2028.

Before flag football makes its Olympic debut during the first week of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the NFL is expected to launch professional men's and women's flag football leagues.