Flag Football Becomes More Real After Becoming An NCAA Emerging Sport

Article reprinted courtesy of Fargo Forum and reporter Eric Peterson.

MOORHEAD — The Concordia Cobbers had their inaugural women's flag football season last spring, partnering with the Minnesota Vikings. Now, an NCAA-sponsored championship could be on the horizon.

Flag football was recently added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program — which is effective immediately — after representatives from Division I, Division II and Division III approved the recommendation last week at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.

"It puts a little bit more teeth into starting a program," said Concordia athletic director Rachel Bergeson. "It feels like it can be a little bit more real. I think more people will consider that now."

The Cobbers again plan to compete in the Vikings college women's flag football league this upcoming spring. Concordia junior Makaela Zierden, who played for the team last spring, also plans to play in Year 2 of the league. She's excited that flag football has become an NCAA emerging sport.

"Having the opportunity to participate is something that's really big, especially in sports that have been traditionally male-dominated, like football," said Zierden, an Albany (Minn.) Area High School graduate. "My teammates and I had a wonderful time playing last year and just knowing that there's a chance for so many more women to enjoy it in the future, it's very encouraging."

Since the Emerging Sports for Women program started in 1994, eight sports have successfully become NCAA championships sports, according to the NCAA. Those sports include rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling, beach volleyball and women's wrestling.

"It feels more real and it feels like there is a commitment to advancing women's flag (football)," Bergeson said. "To me that is what I get when we can formally make it an emerging sport."

Flag football is being added as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

"Adding flag football to the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program is a historic milestone for the game," said Troy Vincent Sr., NFL executive vice president of football operations in a recent NCAA release. "This decision reflects the growing global enthusiasm for flag football and will open doors for young women to pursue their dreams and compete at the collegiate level."

A sport must have at least 40 schools with varsity teams to meet the minimum requirement to be considered for NCAA championship status. The NCAA projects as many as 60 schools could participate in the upcoming spring, and the organization expects those numbers to continue to increase.

"It's exciting," said Zierden, who is an exercise science major at Concordia. "That's the biggest word around flag football becoming emerging as an NCAA sport."