The Atlantic East Conference is launching its first varsity women's flag football season this spring, making it the first NCAA conference to do so and increasing optimism that flag football will ultimately be recognized by the NCAA as an official championship sport.
"It's definitely the hope that it would continue to grow at an NCAA level and that the NCAA will sponsor it," Rebecca Mullen, interim commissioner of the Division III Atlantic East conference, said in an interview with ESPN. "To see it continue to grow and buy into that is really a unique opportunity."
The move comes with a heavy assist from the NFL, which has identified growing the game through flag football as a priority.
The NFL -- through its flag football operator, RCX Sports -- provided initial funding to start the Atlantic East launch, in addition to offering guidance on rules and organization. The Philadelphia Eagles, who sponsor their own girls' flag football league and have been intimately involved in the effort to officially sanction flag football as a high school sport at the state level, are hosting the Atlantic East's media day for flag football Monday to celebrate the launch of the season.
"We congratulate the Atlantic East on making history as the first NCAA conference to introduce women's flag football as an official varsity sport," Eagles vice president of community relations Julie Hirshey said. "This is a milestone moment. ... Opportunities like this foster a more inclusive experience on the field of play and empower young female athletes of all ages and backgrounds to pursue their athletic dreams at the collegiate level."
The Atlantic East floated flag football as a club sport in 2024, and it is transitioning to a full varsity sport with a regular season plus playoff structure this spring. The inaugural season begins Friday and will feature seven schools: Centenary University, Eastern University, Holy Family University, Immaculata University, Marymount University, Neumann University and Penn State Schuykill. Marymount University won the championship in the club season tournament held in 2024.
Although Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, the NFL -- through RCX Sports -- introduced the International Women's Flag Football Scholarship Program in 2023, allowing international players to attend a U.S.-based school that offers flag football as a varsity sport. The NFL also was involved in successful efforts to make flag football an Olympic sport in 2028.
Flag football is currently in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, a key designation ahead of becoming an NCAA-sanctioned sport -- once in the program, a sport must have at least 40 schools sponsoring the sport at the varsity level to be considered for championship status.
"I'm excited for the support and the growth across the board of other schools, and other conferences really buying in to giving women's sports the big opportunity that it deserves," Mullen told ESPN.
According to the National Federation of High Schools, about 500,000 girls ages 6 to 17 played flag football in 2023, which is a 63% increase since 2019, making it one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. The NFL counts more than 750,000 participants in its NFL flag football league nationwide, and all 32 franchises sponsor their own leagues.