Flag Football Participation Skyrockets; Manchester Moving to NAIA; Multiple Club Updates
High school girls flag football participation eclipsed 100,000 during the 2025-26 school year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). From 2024-25 to 2025-26, the number of flag football players went from 68,847 to 102,360, an increase of 49%. Nearly 4,000 high schools offered flag football. That number went from 2,736 to 3,990, an increase of 46%.
Flag football has exploded in popularity at nearly every level. In the 2005-06 school year, about 4,500 girls played the sport. In 2021-22, that number was about 16,400. As that number has climbed above 100,000, the number of states sanctioning the sport has also increased. 24 states currently sanction the sport at the varsity level:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, and Washington, D.C. Another 16 states have pilot programs, including Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The NFL has been instrumental in building flag football at the youth levels via NFL FLAG. The 2026 NFL FLAG Championships set a viewership record, with more than 1.1 million people tuning in to watch the Girls High School Championship.
More than 400 college club and varsity teams are expected to play across all governing bodies during the 2026-27 academic year. The NFL is backing NIRSA's Women's Flag Football Club League initiative, with more than 50 teams already signed up for the inaugural season.
The NAIA will host its first women's flag football championship in spring 2027, followed by the NJCAA in 2028. The NCAA is also expected to have its championship in 2028, with a vote scheduled for January 2027. The NCAA has already approved funding for its first National Collegiate Championship.
The pipeline is set to continue into the professional ranks. TMRW Sports will operate the men's and women's professional flag football league, which is set to launch before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Flag football will debut during the first week of the 2028 Olympics, with six of the 12 national teams already determined by the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in August.
High Point Joins NIRSA
High Point University (NC) is the latest team to join NIRSA's Women's Flag Football Club League for the 2026-27 academic year. Since NIRSA announced its revamped club structure in early May, 54 schools have been added, including the University of Virginia earlier this week.
More details regarding the schedules and end-of-season championship set for April 2027 will be provided at a later date. Teams interested in competing in NIRSA's women's flag football club league can reach out to National Flag Football Manager Nik Sandona via email at nik.sandona@nirsa.org. October 1 is the deadline for club teams to sign up for the league.
Manchester Joining NAIA
Manchester University (IN) will move from the NCAA Division III Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) to the NAIA's Crossroads League beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. Manchester announced the addition of varsity women's flag football in June, with the team expected to compete in 2027-28.
The Crossroads League now has three varsity women's flag football programs. Indiana Wesleyan University and the University of Saint Francis (IN) will both compete as affiliate members in the Mid-South Conference for the 2026-27 academic year. With the addition of Manchester, the Crossroads League will have 11 full members. Assuming no additional membership changes, 9 members will be located in Indiana, one in Michigan, and one in Ohio.
The NAIA will host its first women's flag football championship during the 2026-27 academic year. The championship will feature a 12-team single-elimination bracket, an increase from an 8-team bracket in the 2026 invitational. The qualification criteria haven't been announced.
Over 60 NAIA schools will compete, and six NAIA conferences will sponsor women's flag football in 2026-27: Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC), Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC), Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), Mid-South Conference (MSC), Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), and Sun Conference.
For 2027-28, six NAIA schools have announced a new program: Culver-Stockton College (MO), Faulkner University (AL), Indiana Tech, Manchester, Rochester Christian University (MI), and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (IN).
Niagara Joins NCFA; North Atlantic Conference Announced
Niagara University (NY) will compete in the National Club Football Association's (NCFA) women's flag football league for the 2026-27 academic year. Niagara is the 18th school announced for the NCFA's upcoming season.
The other 17 schools that will compete are Florida State University, Georgia College & State University, Grand Canyon University (AZ), High Point University (NC), Iona University (NY), Long Beach State University (CA), Providence College (RI), Purdue University Fort Wayne (IN), Sacred Heart University (CT), Spelman College (GA), Syracuse University (NY), Texas Southern University, the University at Albany (NY), the University of Connecticut, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Vermont, and the University of Virginia.
The NCFA also announced the North Atlantic Conference and its schedule for the 2026-27 academic year. The North Atlantic will be split into East and West divisions. Iona, Providence, Sacred Heart, and UConn will contest the East division, while Albany, Niagara, Syracuse, and Vermont will comprise the West division. The first games will take place on Saturday, October 10.
For club teams interested in competing in the NCFA during the 2026-27 academic year, please reach out to Sandy Sanderson via email at Sandy.Sanderson@CollClubSports.com.