What to know as women's flag football surges toward NCAA championship status ahead of 2028 LA Games

Get ready to see plenty more of the flag-pulling, fast-paced game of football that was all over television screens last month.

Flag football is taking the stage in advance of its Olympic debut in 2028 at the LA Games. Big things are especially happening in the world of women's flag football. The sport sits at the goal line of gaining NCAA championship status, needing just a successful vote in January from the different levels — Divisions I, II and III — to push it across. Should that happen, a women's national title game could take place in the spring of 2028.

The appetite to grow the sport is robust, with the NFL on board. The sport saw plenty of exposure in late July when the NFL FLAG Championships were held in Indiana. The numbers released showed that 14.3 million viewers tuned in across 30 linear games telecast on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network and Disney platforms. The girls’ high school championship averaged 1.12 million viewers.

“It’s really cool to watch how fast it’s growing,” said Maci Joncich, a quarterback/receiver for Cal Poly who's also part of a Team USA squad that's playing at the world championships later this month in Germany.

Last January, the NCAA approved a measure to make women's flag football an emerging sport, which immediately put it on the fast track toward championship status.

The Emerging Sports for Women program was created out of the recommendations from the Gender Equity Task Force in 1994 as a way to close the participation gap between men’s and women’s sports. Through the program’s efforts, rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003), beach volleyball (2015), wrestling (2025), acrobatics and tumbling (2026) and stunt (2026) have earned NCAA championship status. Flag football is next in line and teams are lining up fast.

Sixty schools competed last spring, including four from the Division I level. For the 2026-27 academic year, the NCAA is anticipating more than 120 schools participating.

“Because of the interest, we’re able to move as quickly as we have,” said Gretchen Miron, the NCAA’s director of education and external engagement, which serves to advance sports opportunities for women.

In 2021, women’s flag football reached emerging-sport status in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the governing body for small college and university athletics programs. Last season, it was elevated to invitational status. This summer, women's flag football officially became the NAIA’s 30th championship sport, with a title game being held next May at a site to be determined. There are about 60 NAIA schools sponsoring the sport this academic year. Warner University in Florida capped off a 24-0 season by winning the NAIA national crown last spring.

NIRSA, an organization that provides resources for college club and intramural teams, is a driving force behind the creation of club teams and intramurals on college campuses. Founded in 1950, NIRSA provides the infrastructure and planning. This season, dozens of schools are fielding club teams, including Penn State, Georgia and Florida State. The club teams are launched by students like Tenley Hill, who formed the UCLA flag football team after playing in high school. Hill's work could potentially be the foundation for the varsity program. “Our main goal is getting UCLA to adopt women’s flag football as a collegiate varsity sport,” Hill wrote in an email. Added Pam Watts, the executive director of NIRSA: “The holy grail is to offer a varsity, a club and an intramural opportunity. Then those different types of student-athletes have those options to choose from.”

It's easy to point to the Olympic inclusion. But the sport was on the rise before that Olympic decision was announced in 2023. Behind the support of the NFL and USA Football, the sport has taken flight. More than 20 states now sanction girls flag football as a high school varsity sport. The NFL has over 830,000 participants in its flag programs. College scholarship opportunities await, too, with a strong collegiate pipeline only enhancing Team USA. “This represents another example of how the Olympic movement, National Governing Bodies and the NCAA can work together to support the growth and development of sports leading to Team USA,” said Scott Hallenbeck, the CEO and executive director for USA Football.

The structure around name, image and likeness deals in women's flag football remains a work in progress. But viewership of the game could be widespread if the NFL FLAG Championships are an indication. The girls' high school quarterfinal match averaged 820,000 viewers.

The college game typically features seven players per side. For international competitions, such as the Olympics, it’s 5-on-5. The college game also is played on a larger field. In both versions, there’s no blocking and all forms of contact typically result in a penalty. Any player on the field is considered an eligible receiver. The scoring for international and college competitions is six points for a touchdown, followed by the option of a 1- or 2-point attempt.

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