ELMIRA COLLEGE TO ADD WOMEN'S FLAG FOOTBALL STARTING IN 2025-26 (2025-01-17)

Southern Tier Sports Report
ELMIRA – Elmira College, in conjunction with the Department of Athletics, has announced the addition of women's flag football as an intercollegiate sponsored sport at the institution,  beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. The sport will begin as a club-level program for the Spring of 2025 before making the transition.

Elmira joins a list of New York colleges/universities planning to add women's flag football, in light of the growth of the sport at the high school level and the anticipated approval by the NCAA as an Emerging Sport.

"The excitement surrounding women's flag football is growing every day, and it's truly an entertaining sport to watch", said Director of Athletics Rhonda Faunce. "I can't help but feel a bit envious as I think about this incredible addition—I would have loved the opportunity to play it myself! I'm thrilled with the decision to bring this sport to our institution so quickly. With our new facility and a strong network of talented high school teams in the area, I'm confident we'll attract exceptional student-athletes right from the start. I'm especially looking forward to the first season next spring, including those unforgettable games under the lights."

At the high school level, 13 states currently sanction women's flag football, including New York, and over the last five years, participation in high school girls' flag football has grown by nearly 15 percent. Local high schools in the area offering girl's flag football include Elmira, Corning-Painted Post (regional qualifier), Owego (state semifinalist in Division 2), and Horseheads.

A growing interest in flag football, which is a non-tackling version of American football where players wear belts with flags on them, peaked this summer after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in October 2023 that flag football would be included on the LA28 Olympic sports program.

The team will host its home contests on the new turf field on the campus of Elmira College.
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REPORT COURTESY OF ELMIRA ATHLETICS

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