Welcome to the May 5 edition of the women's flag football newsletter here at Collegiate Flag Football. This will cover news between April 28 and May 4, 2025. We will take a look at the various stories and happenings across the sport...

Additions This Week

Montclair State (NJ) officially announced the addition of a varsity flag football team that will begin play in the spring of 2026. The school referenced the launch in December 2024 along with other athletic department changes. Montclair State is the second NJAC school to sponsor the sport after Kean University (NJ).

Nebraska may look to add a varsity flag football team in the future, according to a report by SB Nation's Mitchell Northam. Nebraska hosted Midland University (NE) in a flag football game during the Husker Games with Midland winning 60-0. Alabama State was the lone NCAA Division I school to offer a varsity program in 2025 but they will be joined in 2026 by Long Island (NY), Mercyhurst (PA), and Mount St. Mary's (MD). Numerous other D-I schools have club flag football programs.

2025 College Flag Finals Underway

The 2025 College Flag Finals got underway on Monday, May 5, with 21 teams across the NAIA, NJCAA, and NCAA competing in Riverside, Missouri. On the NJCAA side, Daytona State (FL) and Florida Gateway (FL) opened up with victories. In the NAIA, Baker (KS), Keiser (FL), Ottawa (KS), St. Thomas (FL), Thomas (GA), Warner (FL), and Webber International (FL) notched wins on the first day. The full schedule for pool play can be found here and brackets will be updated as the finals progress.

2025-26 Scheduling Openings

It's never too early to think about the schedules for next season. The National Collegiate Flag Football League (NCFFL) has its 2025-26 interest form available. The NCFFL is looking to fill both fall and spring tournaments. The spring 2026 campaign will feature a 10-game season, with playoffs and a championship in 2026. Schools can fill out the interest form here. The College of Staten Island (NY) won the 2025 NCFFL Championship this spring.

Purdue Northwest (IN) is looking for opponents during the 2026 season. The school is willing to play in Jamborees and mini-tournaments within a 3-hour radius of the Hammond, Indiana area.

Atlantic East Yearly Awards

The Atlantic East Conference wrapped up its season on April 26 with Marymount (VA) defeating Eastern (PA) 12-0 to win the conference tournament. A few days later, the AEC announced the yearly awards for the season, including the first-team selections. Immaculata (PA) led the way with five selections, followed by Centenary (NJ) and Marymount (VA) with three each. Eastern (PA) and Holy Family (PA) had two first-team players apiece. The full list of award recipients and first-team selections can be found here.

Player of the Year: Aalyce Davis (Holy Family)

Defensive Player of the Year: Abigail Lentowski (Immaculata)

Coaching Staff of the Year: Marymount (VA) and Eastern (PA)

Coaching News

Albany (NY) is looking for coaches to help the flag football club team next season. Those interested can send a message via Instagram.

Benedictine Mesa (AZ) has hired Brian Winstead as the program's first head coach. Winstead was most recently the head coach of the Gilbert High School flag football team for the previous three years. Benedictine Mesa announced the addition of flag football in April and will begin playing in the 2026 spring season.

Cedar Crest College (PA) is looking for a graduate assistant coach for its women's flag football team next year

Cortland (NY) is looking for an underclassman to help coach the flag football team for the fall and spring seasons during the 2025-26 academic year.

Cypress College (CA) has hired Eric Okula as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 season.

Huntingdon College (AL) is looking for an assistant coach for the flag football team. Those interested should send a cover letter, resume, and three references to head coach Angela Rowe.

Montclair State (NJ) has hired Jim Kelly as its first flag football head coach. Kelly is a graduate of Montclair State and was part of the men's football coaching staff from 2005 through 2012. Kelly was the head coach of Caldwell University's (NJ) sprint football team from 2018 through 2023. In 2024, Kelly started as an assistant coach at William Paterson University (NJ) and was later named WP's Director of Football Operations.

William Woods (MO) is looking for a graduate assistant to join the coaching staff starting in fall 2025. Those interested should reach out to head coach Charlie Holloway.

Conference Carolinas Officials Partnership

Conference Carolinas has announced a partnership with the National Women's Football Officials Association (NWFOA). The NWFOA will act as the conference's Supervisor of Officials when it begins competition next spring.

Euro Flag 2025 Groups Drawn

The 2025 IFAF European Flag Football Championships drew their groups last week. The women's side has 19 countries that will compete later this year, led by Austria, Great Britain, Spain, and Germany as the top four seeds. On the men's side, 24 teams will compete with Austria, Germany, France, and Italy as the top four teams. The IFAF has revised the tournament dates by one day: it will now begin on September 25 and end on September 27.

Future Camps and Clinics

The Kansas City Chiefs will host their NFL FLAG College Showcase on Tuesday, May 6, from 5:30 PM through 8:30 PM. The event is free to attend with a maximum of 200 participants.

The Chicago Bears are hosting a Girls Flag Football clinic on Saturday, May 10, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The clinic will be held at Illinois Wesleyan's Titan Stadium in Bloomington, Illinois.

USA Football is hosting an adult Talent ID camp in Long Beach, California, on Saturday, May 10. The camp will take place from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Simpson University (CA) is hosting a women's flag football prospect camp from 9 AM to 11 AM on Saturday, May 17. The camp will be held at Del Campo High School in Sacramento, California. Simpson will be offering scholarships to the top performers at the camp.

In conjunction with the Chicago Bears, the Rockford Park District (Illinois) is hosting a flag football camp on Saturday, May 17, from 10 AM to 12 PM. Sign up is free, and the camp will feature various workouts, drills, and skills tests.

From Reinhardt University's social media account: there will be several Flag Football Skills challenges hosted in May at the following cities in Atlanta, LaGrange, and Macon, Georgia.

Texas Wesleyan (TX) will host a skills and development clinic on Saturday, May 31. There will be two sessions: one from 9 AM to 12 PM, and a second one from 4 PM to 9 PM.

Neumann University (PA) will host a girls flag football league on Tuesdays and Thursdays during June. The league will begin on Tuesday, June 3 and end on Thursday, June 30. The league will cost $100 and will be run by Neumann's flag football coaching staff.

There will be a College ID Camp hosted by Bruce Mapp in McKinney, Texas, on Saturday, June 14. The "Put HER on the Mapp" camp will provide drills, coaching, scouting, and training sessions. Arizona Christian (AZ), Baker (KS), Concordia (TX), Keiser (FL), Texas Wesleyan (TX), and Saint Mary (KS) will be attending the camp.

Southern Utah University is hosting its first girls' flag football tournament on Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17, as part of the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games (USG). The tournament is split into high school varsity, junior varsity, and middle school, with registration ending on Monday, May 26. The USG plans to invite coaches from around the region to attend the tournaments.

Eastern University (PA) will be the site of a football skills development camp from Monday, June 16, through Thursday, June 19. This is a coed camp that will focus on offensive and defensive skills for kids ages 9 through 14. The camp will be held in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Warner University (FL) and Webber International (FL) will host a Girls Flag Football camp from Wednesday, June 18, through Friday, June 20.

The University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas, will host the Nike BallHER flag football camp from June 24 to June 26, 2025. Baker (KS), Mars Hill (NC), and Ottawa (KS) will also have representatives in attendance.

Millersville University (PA) is hosting a camp from June 26 through 29, 2025, as noted by Cedar Crest College (PA) in nearby Allentown.

Holy Family University (PA) will host two summer camps in June and July. The first camp will be held on Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, June 29. The second camp will be held on Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13.

High School Flag Football Updates

The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) voted on Monday to add girls flag football as an emerging sport. Flag football will need 50% of the IHSAA membership, currently at 409 schools, to participate before it can become a sanctioned sport. The NFL's Indianapolis Colts are giving flag football a boost by investing $1 million across the state to get the sport sanctioned at the high school level. 59 high schools currently participate and the Colts want that number to reach 100 and beyond. The team is providing schools a $10,000 grant to help launch a flag football team.

15 states have sanctioned flag football as a high school sport: 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, and Missouri designated it an emerging sport.

One state that will not be sanctioning flag football this spring is North Carolina. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) has tabled its proposal to sanction flag football. The NCHSAA will review the topic again in December 2025. The NCHSAA also passed on sanctioning the sport in December 2024.