Flag football has been added to the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program and four other women's sports were elevated to championship status, the NCAA announced Friday.
Flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports at the youth, high school and collegiate levels and will debut as an Olympic sport for men and women in 2028.
There were about 40 NCAA schools with women's flag football teams in 2025, and the NCAA projected 60 could be competing this spring.
Nebraska on Friday announced it would be the first power conference school to add flag football as a varsity women's sport, with competition beginning in the spring of 2028.
The new championship sports are acrobatics and tumbling, stunt, Division II bowling and Division III women's wrestling.
“This moment reflects the growth of college sports, as schools continue to provide a record number of scholarships and opportunities across the NCAA," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “By expanding championship opportunities, we celebrate the remarkable momentum of women’s sports, ensuring more student-athletes have the chance to compete for national titles, represent their institutions and inspire future generations.”
To become a championship sport, a minimum of 40 schools must sponsor the sport at the varsity level and meet contest and participation requirements.
At Nebraska, women's flag football would be the first sport added since beach volleyball in 2013. The season will run from January to May. Nebraska will immediately begin a coaching search and plans to have a roster of 20-25 players.
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
Join us for community fun! Free antique and collectible appraisals by Clars Auction. Over 30… Read moreMillbrae Senior Showcase
Thomas Morgan said:
I clearly missed yesterday's article. The family appear to be upset with all parties involved.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.