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Time of India
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
How women's flag football is rapidly growing on college campuses across the US
Augustana University and Concordia University, St. Paul players compete during a women's college flag football game, April 7, 2025, in St. Paul. Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Flag football's popularity is surging among women and girls across the United States, with Augustana University and six other NCAA schools launching club teams this spring through a $140,000 support from the Minnesota Vikings . The sport's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has further boosted participation, leading to expansion at high school and collegiate levels, with over 42,000 girls playing nationwide in sanctioned programs during the 2023-24 school year. At Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Kiley Coyne, an assistant director of admission for the music department and women's tackle football player, took on coaching duties for the new team. "I remember saying, 'I just need 10.' If we can have an offense and a defense, let's go," Coyne said. "Now we have 23 people who've gone out for it." The NFL has been actively supporting the sport's growth, recognizing its accessibility for female athletes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Susan Boyle Is Now so Thin and Looks Beautiful! Undo "I think one of the beauties of flag football is how accessible it is," said Stephanie Kwok, the league's vice president of flag football. "It's adding to the opportunities for girls to play sports." The collegiate league includes five institutions in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, with teams gathering for multiple games at the same site on three Saturdays this month. Brooklyn Sturm, a freshman at Augustana, found a new athletic pursuit in flag football after playing volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school. "I thought I needed to focus on academics, but when I got here it felt like a part of me was missing," said Sturm. "If we had this opportunity in high school, I probably would've taken it." The sport's growth extends beyond collegiate levels, with 14 states now sanctioning girls' flag football and approximately half a million girls ages 6 to 17 participating in organized play. More than 100 higher-education institutions now offer women's flag football as a varsity or club sport, with the NAIA beginning sanctioned competition in 2021. At Augsburg University in Minneapolis, the program has attracted women new to organized sports. "Why am I doing this? It's for those women who've never worn a uniform, who've never been part of the school spirit of being part of a team," said Melissa Lee, an associate athletic director and team coach at Augsburg University. "What's their token answer? We played powderpuff at homecoming our junior and senior year," said Lee, who recruited 24 women at the school of about 2,400 undergrads. "That was all it took for me. I said, 'You're on the team.'" Flag football rules differ significantly from tackle football, featuring smaller fields and 5-on-5 play. Teams have four downs to cross midfield and another four to score, with special rules for rushing the passer and running plays near the goal line. Plans for next season include expanding to 7-on-7 play and potentially doubling the league's size. "I just love taking new opportunities," Sturm said, recalling her family's reaction. "Now that they know I'm getting back into it, they're like, 'This is you. This is what you're supposed to do.'" The NCAA has recommended women's flag football be designated an emerging sport, with at least 20 more teams expected to start in 2026. Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India , including match schedules , team squads , points table and IPL live score for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Don't miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap .
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Women's flag football grows on college campuses, from startup clubs to varsity teams with NFL boost
ROSEVILLE, Minn. — The flyers started appearing around the Augustana University campus earlier this year, followed by the all-student email blast. A club team was forming for women's flag football, with room for all comers. Kiley Coyne, an assistant director of admission for the music department who just happens to play on a women's tackle football team in her spare time, eagerly added coaching to her duties at the school of 2,000 undergraduates in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 'I remember saying, 'I just need 10.' If we can have an offense and a defense, let's go,' Coyne said. 'Now we have 23 people who've gone out for it.' With the sport's inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump, flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country. The NFL has been a staunch supporter. 'I think one of the beauties of flag football is how accessible it is,' said Stephanie Kwok, the league's vice president of flag football. 'It's adding to the opportunities for girls to play sports.' The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. With five institutions in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, a schedule was arranged for each team to assemble for multiple games at the same site on three Saturdays this month, including a championship tournament this weekend. When Brooklyn Sturm first arrived on the Augustana campus as a freshman last fall, the former high school volleyball, basketball and softball standout wasn't planning any athletic commitments beyond intramurals. Now she's a quarterback. 'I thought I needed to focus on academics, but when I got here it felt like a part of me was missing,' said Sturm, whose team made the four-hour drive to Northwestern University in Roseville, Minnesota, for the inaugural round of games on April 6. 'If we had this opportunity in high school, I probably would've taken it.' According to National Federation of High Schools data, 14 states have girls' flag football as a sanctioned sport with 42,955 players nationwide during the 2023-24 school year. That figure doesn't include club or intramural participation, of course. About half a million girls ages 6 to 17 play the sport in some organized form. In Minnesota, the Vikings helped launch a four-team pilot at the high school club level last spring. This year, there are 51 schools in the league. More than 100 higher-educational institutions, either in the NCAA, the NAIA or the junior college level, are now offering women's flag football as a varsity or club sport, according to the NFL. The NAIA was on board first with sanctioned competition that began in 2021. There are 16 schools currently supporting an NCAA varsity program, with at least 20 more teams expected to start in 2026. Earlier this year, the NCAA recommended women's flag football be designated an emerging sport. One of the most intriguing developments in Minnesota has been the turnout from women who had never played an organized team sport before. 'Why am I doing this? It's for those women who've never worn a uniform, who've never been part of the school spirit of being part of a team,' said Melissa Lee, an associate athletic director at Augsburg University in Minneapolis who agreed to coach the school's team. The obvious first question at the first gathering was about previous experience in the sport. 'What's their token answer? We played powderpuff at homecoming our junior and senior year,' said Lee, who had 24 women sign up at the school of about 2,400 undergrads. 'That was all it took for me. I said, 'You're on the team.'' Even for the coaches on men's tackle teams who've crossed over this spring to help lead the women's flag startups, there has been a lot to learn. The standard rules of flag football differ more than simply the absence of tackling, with plenty of variance from league to league and level to level. The fields are half as wide and half as long, and play is typically 5-on-5. The offense has four downs to cross midfield, then another four to score. Punts are verbally declared and not kicked, like an intentional walk in baseball, before the opponent takes possession at its own 5-yard line. The defense can rush the passer, but only from 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Running plays aren't allowed inside the defense's 5-yard line. After a touchdown, the scoring team chooses a 1-point conversion play from the 5 or a 2-point play from the 10. Next season, Coyne said, the hope is to move to 7-on-7 play to increase playing time. Enough schools have expressed interest that the seven-team league could double in size. Then, ideally, varsity status would follow if a sustainable way to fund it can be figured out. 'I just love taking new opportunities,' Sturm said, recalling the surprise by her family members at her initial decision to not play a college sport. 'Now that they know I'm getting back into it, they're like, 'This is you. This is what you're supposed to do.'' Originally Published: April 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM CDT
San Francisco Chronicle
22-04-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Women's flag football grows on college campuses, from startup clubs to varsity teams with NFL boost
ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — The flyers started appearing around the Augustana University campus earlier this year, followed by the all-student email blast. A club team was forming for women's flag football, with room for all comers. Kiley Coyne, an assistant director of admission for the music department who just happens to play on a women's tackle football team in her spare time, eagerly added coaching to her duties at the school of 2,000 undergraduates in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 'I remember saying, 'I just need 10.' If we can have an offense and a defense, let's go," Coyne said. 'Now we have 23 people who've gone out for it.' With the sport's inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump, flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country. The NFL has been a staunch supporter. 'I think one of the beauties of flag football is how accessible it is,' said Stephanie Kwok, the league's vice president of flag football. 'It's adding to the opportunities for girls to play sports.' The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. With five institutions in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, a schedule was arranged for each team to assemble for multiple games at the same site on three Saturdays this month, including a championship tournament this weekend. When Brooklyn Sturm first arrived on the Augustana campus as a freshman last fall, the former high school volleyball, basketball and softball standout wasn't planning any athletic commitments beyond intramurals. Now she's a quarterback. 'I thought I needed to focus on academics, but when I got here it felt like a part of me was missing,' said Sturm, whose team made the four-hour drive to Northwestern University in Roseville, Minnesota, for the inaugural round of games on April 6. 'If we had this opportunity in high school, I probably would've taken it.' According to National Federation of High Schools data, 14 states have girls' flag football as a sanctioned sport with 42,955 players nationwide during the 2023-24 school year. That figure doesn't include club or intramural participation, of course. About half a million girls ages 6 to 17 play the sport in some organized form. In Minnesota, the Vikings helped launch a four-team pilot at the high school club level last spring. This year, there are 51 schools in the league. More than 100 higher-educational institutions, either in the NCAA, the NAIA or the junior college level, are now offering women's flag football as a varsity or club sport, according to the NFL. The NAIA was on board first with sanctioned competition that began in 2021. There are 16 schools currently supporting an NCAA varsity program, with at least 20 more teams expected to start in 2026. Earlier this year, the NCAA recommended women's flag football be designated an emerging sport. One of the most intriguing developments in Minnesota has been the turnout from women who had never played an organized team sport before. 'Why am I doing this? It's for those women who've never worn a uniform, who've never been part of the school spirit of being part of a team,' said Melissa Lee, an associate athletic director at Augsburg University in Minneapolis who agreed to coach the school's team. The obvious first question at the first gathering was about previous experience in the sport. 'What's their token answer? We played powderpuff at homecoming our junior and senior year,' said Lee, who had 24 women sign up at the school of about 2,400 undergrads. 'That was all it took for me. I said, 'You're on the team.'' Even for the coaches on men's tackle teams who've crossed over this spring to help lead the women's flag startups, there has been a lot to learn. The standard rules of flag football differ more than simply the absence of tackling, with plenty of variance from league to league and level to level. The fields are half as wide and half as long, and play is typically 5-on-5. The offense has four downs to cross midfield, then another four to score. Punts are verbally declared and not kicked, like an intentional walk in baseball, before the opponent takes possession at its own 5-yard line. The defense can rush the passer, but only from 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Running plays aren't allowed inside the defense's 5-yard line. After a touchdown, the scoring team chooses a 1-point conversion play from the 5 or a 2-point play from the 10. Next season, Coyne said, the hope is to move to 7-on-7 play to increase playing time. Enough schools have expressed interest that the seven-team league could double in size. Then, ideally, varsity status would follow if a sustainable way to fund it can be figured out. ___
Fox Sports
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Women's flag football grows on college campuses, from startup clubs to varsity teams with NFL boost
Associated Press ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — The flyers started appearing around the Augustana University campus earlier this year, followed by the all-student email blast. A club team was forming for women's flag football, with room for all comers. Kiley Coyne, an assistant director of admission for the music department who just happens to play on a women's tackle football team in her spare time, eagerly added coaching to her duties at the school of 2,000 undergraduates in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 'I remember saying, 'I just need 10.' If we can have an offense and a defense, let's go," Coyne said. 'Now we have 23 people who've gone out for it.' With the sport's inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump, flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country. The NFL has been a staunch supporter. 'I think one of the beauties of flag football is how accessible it is,' said Stephanie Kwok, the league's vice president of flag football. 'It's adding to the opportunities for girls to play sports.' The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. With five institutions in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, a schedule was arranged for each team to assemble for multiple games at the same site on three Saturdays this month, including a championship tournament this weekend. When Brooklyn Sturm first arrived on the Augustana campus as a freshman last fall, the former high school volleyball, basketball and softball standout wasn't planning any athletic commitments beyond intramurals. Now she's a quarterback. 'I thought I needed to focus on academics, but when I got here it felt like a part of me was missing,' said Sturm, whose team made the four-hour drive to Northwestern University in Roseville, Minnesota, for the inaugural round of games on April 6. 'If we had this opportunity in high school, I probably would've taken it.' According to National Federation of High Schools data, 14 states have girls' flag football as a sanctioned sport with 42,955 players nationwide during the 2023-24 school year. That figure doesn't include club or intramural participation, of course. About half a million girls ages 6 to 17 play the sport in some organized form. In Minnesota, the Vikings helped launch a four-team pilot at the high school club level last spring. This year, there are 51 schools in the league. More than 100 higher-educational institutions, either in the NCAA, the NAIA or the junior college level, are now offering women's flag football as a varsity or club sport, according to the NFL. The NAIA was on board first with sanctioned competition that began in 2021. There are 16 schools currently supporting an NCAA varsity program, with at least 20 more teams expected to start in 2026. Earlier this year, the NCAA recommended women's flag football be designated an emerging sport. One of the most intriguing developments in Minnesota has been the turnout from women who had never played an organized team sport before. 'Why am I doing this? It's for those women who've never worn a uniform, who've never been part of the school spirit of being part of a team,' said Melissa Lee, an associate athletic director at Augsburg University in Minneapolis who agreed to coach the school's team. The obvious first question at the first gathering was about previous experience in the sport. 'What's their token answer? We played powderpuff at homecoming our junior and senior year,' said Lee, who had 24 women sign up at the school of about 2,400 undergrads. 'That was all it took for me. I said, 'You're on the team.'' Even for the coaches on men's tackle teams who've crossed over this spring to help lead the women's flag startups, there has been a lot to learn. The standard rules of flag football differ more than simply the absence of tackling, with plenty of variance from league to league and level to level. The fields are half as wide and half as long, and play is typically 5-on-5. The offense has four downs to cross midfield, then another four to score. Punts are verbally declared and not kicked, like an intentional walk in baseball, before the opponent takes possession at its own 5-yard line. The defense can rush the passer, but only from 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Running plays aren't allowed inside the defense's 5-yard line. After a touchdown, the scoring team chooses a 1-point conversion play from the 5 or a 2-point play from the 10. Next season, Coyne said, the hope is to move to 7-on-7 play to increase playing time. Enough schools have expressed interest that the seven-team league could double in size. Then, ideally, varsity status would follow if a sustainable way to fund it can be figured out. 'I just love taking new opportunities,' Sturm said, recalling the surprise by her family members at her initial decision to not play a college sport. 'Now that they know I'm getting back into it, they're like, 'This is you. This is what you're supposed to do.'' ___ AP NFL: recommended
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's flag football grows on college campuses, from startup clubs to varsity teams with NFL boost
ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — The flyers started appearing around the Augustana University campus earlier this year, followed by the all-student email blast. A club team was forming for women's flag football, with room for all comers. Kiley Coyne, an assistant director of admission for the music department who just happens to play on a women's tackle football team in her spare time, eagerly added coaching to her duties at the school of 2,000 undergraduates in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Advertisement 'I remember saying, 'I just need 10.' If we can have an offense and a defense, let's go," Coyne said. 'Now we have 23 people who've gone out for it.' With the sport's inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump, flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country. The NFL has been a staunch supporter. 'I think one of the beauties of flag football is how accessible it is,' said Stephanie Kwok, the league's vice president of flag football. 'It's adding to the opportunities for girls to play sports.' The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. With five institutions in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, a schedule was arranged for each team to assemble for multiple games at the same site on three Saturdays this month, including a championship tournament this weekend. Advertisement When Brooklyn Sturm first arrived on the Augustana campus as a freshman last fall, the former high school volleyball, basketball and softball standout wasn't planning any athletic commitments beyond intramurals. Now she's a quarterback. 'I thought I needed to focus on academics, but when I got here it felt like a part of me was missing,' said Sturm, whose team made the four-hour drive to Northwestern University in Roseville, Minnesota, for the inaugural round of games on April 6. 'If we had this opportunity in high school, I probably would've taken it.' According to National Federation of High Schools data, 14 states have girls' flag football as a sanctioned sport with 42,955 players nationwide during the 2023-24 school year. That figure doesn't include club or intramural participation, of course. About half a million girls ages 6 to 17 play the sport in some organized form. In Minnesota, the Vikings helped launch a four-team pilot at the high school club level last spring. This year, there are 51 schools in the league. Advertisement More than 100 higher-educational institutions, either in the NCAA, the NAIA or the junior college level, are now offering women's flag football as a varsity or club sport, according to the NFL. The NAIA was on board first with sanctioned competition that began in 2021. There are 16 schools currently supporting an NCAA varsity program, with at least 20 more teams expected to start in 2026. Earlier this year, the NCAA recommended women's flag football be designated an emerging sport. One of the most intriguing developments in Minnesota has been the turnout from women who had never played an organized team sport before. 'Why am I doing this? It's for those women who've never worn a uniform, who've never been part of the school spirit of being part of a team,' said Melissa Lee, an associate athletic director at Augsburg University in Minneapolis who agreed to coach the school's team. The obvious first question at the first gathering was about previous experience in the sport. Advertisement 'What's their token answer? We played powderpuff at homecoming our junior and senior year,' said Lee, who had 24 women sign up at the school of about 2,400 undergrads. 'That was all it took for me. I said, 'You're on the team.'' Even for the coaches on men's tackle teams who've crossed over this spring to help lead the women's flag startups, there has been a lot to learn. The standard rules of flag football differ more than simply the absence of tackling, with plenty of variance from league to league and level to level. The fields are half as wide and half as long, and play is typically 5-on-5. The offense has four downs to cross midfield, then another four to score. Punts are verbally declared and not kicked, like an intentional walk in baseball, before the opponent takes possession at its own 5-yard line. The defense can rush the passer, but only from 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Running plays aren't allowed inside the defense's 5-yard line. After a touchdown, the scoring team chooses a 1-point conversion play from the 5 or a 2-point play from the 10. Next season, Coyne said, the hope is to move to 7-on-7 play to increase playing time. Enough schools have expressed interest that the seven-team league could double in size. Then, ideally, varsity status would follow if a sustainable way to fund it can be figured out. Advertisement 'I just love taking new opportunities,' Sturm said, recalling the surprise by her family members at her initial decision to not play a college sport. 'Now that they know I'm getting back into it, they're like, 'This is you. This is what you're supposed to do.'' ___ AP NFL:
