NCAA takes a step toward adding flag football by including it in its Emerging Sports for Women program
Holy Family, Immaculata, and Neumann are among Philadelphia-area schools that fielded women's flag football teams last year. Now, the sport is one step closer to becoming a full championship sport.
The NCAA has added flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program, effective immediately, the organization announced Friday.
Flag football was approved to join the Emerging Sports program by representatives from Division I, Division II, and Division III, giving it a path to becoming an NCAA championship sport in the coming years.
Since its creation in 1994, the Emerging Sports for Women program has identified sports that “help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship options for institutions,” according to its website.
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Eight sports included in the Emerging Sports for Women program have been elevated to full NCAA championship status since 1996, including rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling, beach volleyball, and women’s wrestling. At the 2026 convention, the NCAA elevated stunt and acrobatics & tumbling from emerging sports to championship sports.
Several NCAA schools have added seven-on-seven flag football ahead of its inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles, including some in the Philadelphia area.
Holy Family, Immaculata, and Neumann fielded teams for the Atlantic East Conference’s inaugural flag football season last spring, and Chestnut Hill will compete in the Atlantic East this season. After competing in the Atlantic East in 2025, Eastern’s team will compete in both the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Atlantic East in 2026.
Flag football joins rugby, triathlon, and equestrian on the NCAA’s list of emerging sports. For flag football to be considered for championship status, it needs a minimum of 40 schools sponsoring it at the varsity level. It also will need to meet “minimum contest and participation requirements,” per the NCAA’s release.
The NCAA’s sports sponsorship data shows that 40 schools either currently field a flag football team or plan to this spring. Of the 40 schools included in the NCAA’s data, three are Division I, 14 are Division II, and 23 are Division III.
While the NCAA did not set forth a timeline for flag football to be added as a championship sport, it does expect sponsorship of the sport to increase as a result of its inclusion in the Emerging Sports for Women program.