Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Big South Conference, of which Radford University is a member, is slated to become one of the first in the country to add women’s flag football as an official sport.
Flag football will debut at the 2028 Olympics, putting a spotlight on the game. Last week, the Big South Conference Council of Chief Executive Officers approved the addition of Women’s Flag Football starting with the 2027-28 academic year.
The growth is most visible at the youth and high school level, where it has become a primary pipeline for the sport. Between 2023 and 2025, nearly 1,000 additional schools added girls’ flag football programs, and at least 17 states have fully sanctioned it as a varsity sport as of early 2026 with over 30 more in various stages of the process.
According to I9 Sports, approximately 500,000 girls aged six to 17 participated in flag football at some level in 2023, representing a 63 percent increase since 2019.
Flag football was added to the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program on Jan. 16, and the Big South is the first Division I multi-sport conference to sponsor the sport.
Big South Commissioner Sherika by A. Montgomery said Women’s Flag Football will become the 19th sport sponsored by the Big South.
“Women’s flag football represents more than just a new addition to our sport offerings – it is a dynamic and rapidly emerging sport fueled by access and opportunity,” said Montgomery. “The Big South Conference is proud to be at the forefront of this growth, providing a competitive platform for student-athletes to excel while helping shape the future of the game across our region and beyond.”
As an NCAA Emerging Sport, the addition of women’s flag football makes way for the sport to be eligible to pursue championship status and host its first as soon as the spring of 2028. The sport is scheduled to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, further solidifying its rapid growth and global recognition.
Five Big South members – Charleston Southern University, Gardner-Webb University, Radford University, UNC Asheville and USC Upstate – have added Women’s Flag Football to their sport offerings, and each institution has received support from the National Football League to launch their respective start-up programs. For the 2026–27 academic year, the Big South will feature a mix of club- and varsity-level sponsorship for Women’s Flag Football.
Radford University started the sport this spring and became the first Big South Conference school to offer the sport at either the club or varsity level.
The RU program has already begun as a club team this year and will continue as club for several more years. No timeline is set for Radford Athletics to officially start a varsity program.
The Big 12 Conference and NFL are exploring the possibility of the conference adding flag football as a sponsored sport beginning in 2028, according to Sports Business Journal. The Big 12 would become the first Power 4 conference to sponsor the sport.
In 2027-28, the Big South intends for its participating institutions to compete for the inaugural Big South Women’s Flag Football Championship at the varsity level in the Spring of 2028.
Additional full-member participation plus regional affiliate membership is anticipated in the months ahead as interest in the sport continues to surge.
“This historic milestone reflects a year of bold vision and significant progress across our membership,” added Montgomery. “Our institutions have remained committed to expanding opportunities for student-athletes while aligning with forward-thinking institutional priorities. With five full-time members formally stepping forward to launch Women’s Flag Football programs, the momentum reached a defining moment — opening the door for the Big South to lead and elevate one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.
“We also extend immense appreciation to the NFL and RCX Sports, as their unwavering commitment, expertise, and passion for growing the game have been instrumental in bringing this vision to life,” continued Montgomery. “Through their leadership in education, program development, and national implementation, they have helped establish a strong foundation for sustained success. The future of Women’s Flag Football is exceptionally bright – and the Big South Conference is proud to be leader in the sport!”
The conference office will begin planning for regional competitions, a conference invitational, and additional sport sponsorship logistics to ensure a strong and competitive foundation for the growth of women’s flag football.
