Backed by NFL and Olympics, flag football gains momentum in NCAA emerging sports program

Thousands gathered in San Francisco in the days leading up to the most anticipated game on the NFL calendar. But before the Seahawks and Patriots took center stage in Super Bowl LX, it was the contactless version of the game that repeatedly found itself in the spotlight.

Whether it was the NFL’s top players going head-to-head in the Pro Bowl, the 2026 NFL Flag International Championship, or a number of showcases highlighting the talents of athletes across the globe, the rapid rise of flag football was represented accordingly in San Francisco.

A game once confined to recess has surged in recent years. It helps that three powerhouses are aligned in backing the growth of the sport: the NFL, NCAA and International Olympic Committee.

A strong backing is one of the reasons why flag football is on track to move through the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program at a pace few sports have experienced.

“With any sport that we’ve had move through the program, and flag being a good recent example of this, when there are multiple entities that are behind it and are working together towards the shared goal, that’s been a lot more successful for growth,” Gretchen Miron, the NCAA's director of education and external engagement, told The Associated Press.

The emerging sports program has helped eight women’s sports reach championship status since its creation in 1994: beach volleyball, rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling, wrestling, stunt and acrobatics & tumbling.

Once in the program, a minimum of 40 schools must sponsor the sport at a varsity level for it to be considered for the next stages. It’s a benchmark that sports like equestrian and rugby haven’t been able to meet after years in the program. Flag football, which entered the program in mid-January, is expected to have well beyond 40 varsity programs by the spring.

The sport also offers a solution to equity questions that college athletics have long grappled with. In a college sports landscape historically dominated by men’s football and basketball, women’s flag football offers a new way to broaden participation opportunities.

At the very least, it could help with Title IX compliance, which calls for athletic departments to offer opportunities that adequately reflect the student population.

“One of the reasons why we see lots of schools add women’s sports is because they are continuing to evaluate and make sure that they’re balanced from a Title IX perspective,” Miron said.

Equestrian and rugby require larger rosters, so a school with a slight imbalance might opt for a smaller addition. Flag football, with rosters averaging around 20 to 25 athletes, could help fill that gap.

“I would say that we have really high participation numbers right now for women,” Miron said. “But there is still a significant gap between men and women as far as overall participation opportunities.”

In 2023, the IOC voted in favor of adding flag football as an official Olympic sport set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, signifying just how broad its reach has become.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pointed to access as a driving force behind that growth.

“It’s one of the hottest sports in the world,” Goodell said in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. “I’m tremendously inspired when you see people who didn’t have access to this game and they have a chance to play. That’s particularly true for young women.”

An Olympic presence can only help an emerging sport, according to the NCAA Office of Inclusion. The visibility associated with being on the biggest stage can lead to increased participation levels and an accelerated path through the NCAA pipeline.

The Olympic announcement unlocked a future that some of the best flag football players in the game, like quarterback Diana Flores, had only dreamt of.

“The Olympics is the pinnacle of any athlete’s career,” Flores said. “As a young girl, I grew up watching the Olympics every four years and just, like, wondering how it could be to have that opportunity because flag was not even considered. ... The door was not even there. It’s a dream come true just to have the opportunity to be part of that — for me, for all the flag football community worldwide.”

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Bormio, Italy, contributed to this report.

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports