Six Colleges Partner With Minnesota Vikings to Launch Flag Football League
Six colleges and the NFL's Minnesota Vikings have partnered to start a women's flag football league that will begin this spring. Augustana University (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Bethel University (Arden Hills, Minnesota), Concordia College Moorhead (Moorhead, Minnesota), Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota), University of Northwestern-St. Paul (Roseville, Minnesota), and University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie, Wisconsin) will compete in the league's inaugural season.
The Vikings will provide $140,000 in funding to help the schools launch their respective programs and the yet-to-be named league. The 2025 season will have three "jamborees" throughout April where all six teams will compete. The three jamborees will take place on the following dates, at specific locations, and culminate with a championship tournament:
- Saturday, April 5, 2025 - Jamboree hosted by Northwestern-St. Paul
- Saturday, April 12, 2025 - Jamboree hosted by UW-Stout
- Saturday, April 26, 2025 - Championship tournament at TCO Stadium (Eagan, Minnesota)
All six schools are the first members from their respective conference to begin sponsoring women's flag football. Augustana is the first from the NCAA Division II Northern Sun, Northwestern is the first from the NCAA Division III UMAC, and UW-Stout is the first from the D-III WIAC. The trio of Bethel, Concordia-Moorhead, and Gustavus Adolphus are the first three members of the D-III MIAC to sponsor the sport.
Over 60 colleges have varsity flag football teams competing in the 2025 spring season. In addition to the varsity programs, at least two dozen additional teams are competing at the club level this year. 65 additional varsity teams are expected to begin competing in the 2026 season. Beyond the collegiate level, there has been considerable growth at the high school level with 14 states sanctioning women's flag football: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.