NCAA Division II Women’s Flag Football Expansion: UW-Parkside Adds Team, Marymount Joins ECAC
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Add a pass-and-lunge relay: after each catch have your players boom into a walking lunge toward the next cone before firing the ball back—this sneaky drill builds hip drive, leg strength, and catch-focus while they laugh about their wobbly quads.
Postgame Parents: When they feel a mistake weighing them down, ask them to picture a mini scoreboard in their head popping “confetti points” for every ounce of effort instead of errors—seeing that ticker light up play by play trains a champion mindset. And hey, who doesn’t love a little confetti celebration before the next snap?
Players Snap: Huddle two minutes before kickoff and run through your hand signals—nothing kills momentum like a busted call that has you chasing flags instead of touchdowns.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 UW-Parkside adding flag football; Marymount to compete in ECAC
The University of Wisconsin–Parkside will launch a varsity women’s flag football team in the 2026–27 season, becoming the third NCAA Division II GLIAC member to add the sport alongside Purdue Northwest and Saginaw Valley State. Marymount University will join the newly formed ECAC conference in spring 2026, underscoring rapid growth in collegiate women’s flag football ahead of upcoming NCAA emerging sports votes and the sport’s professional and Olympic debuts.
🌍 Regional Roundup
New York: Union College has hired Frank Rogers as the inaugural head coach of its women’s flag football program, which will begin play in spring 2027 in the ECAC Women’s Flag Football League. His 25 years of experience as a coach and league operator are expected to aid recruiting and program development.
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Georgia: Every Georgia high school is now eligible for grants from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to launch or support girls flag football teams, building on a program that expanded to 300 schools and 8,500 players this season. The GHSA welcomes the funding as it anticipates continued growth of the sport statewide.
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Illinois: Youth flag football athletes from Rockford will scrimmage during halftime of the Bears-Packers playoff game after the Chicago Bears donated $50,000 to help launch a middle school girls’ flag league. Four teams—including two 14U boys’ squads and two girls’ teams—were selected for the on-field showcase.
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Washington: The South Kitsap girls flag football team improved to 9–1 this season, attributing its performance to senior leadership, expanded rosters of over 70 tryouts, and equipment support from the Seattle Seahawks. The program added a C team and aims for postseason success after steady growth over three years.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Lainie Dorow – Quarterback, St. Joseph High School. Dorow led her team to Michigan’s first-ever girls flag football state championship with a game-winning flag pull at the goal line and was named the Detroit Lions’ Michigan player of the year, earning a spot among 32 national nominees.
“I can’t imagine any other player that I would choose over her,” coach Matt Koch said. “She’s that special. She’s that dynamic of a player.”
📈 Flag Growth Focus
🔥 Santa Cruz Showcase Surge
Girls’ flag football in Santa Cruz County is experiencing a local boom with 34 seniors from Santa Cruz and Monterey competing in a new showcase on the fully reopened West Cliff Drive. The event underscores the sport’s rapid growth ahead of its 2028 Olympic debut, boosting youth participation and community visibility.
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🔥 Georgia Grant Expansion
The Arthur M. Blank Foundation has opened grant eligibility for every Georgia high school to launch or support girls’ flag football programs, building on funding that helped over 300 schools start teams since 2018. This statewide funding model is positioned as a blueprint for nationwide growth, driving broader access and program sustainability in the sport.
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⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
Suncoast High’s former gymnast-turned-CrossFit athlete Cate Goddeau-Hall was named to the 2026 Under Armour Next All-America flag football high school roster.
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U.S. flag football standout Ashlea Klam attended Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Sportsperson of the Year Awards in Las Vegas, walking the red carpet alongside top athletes and celebrities.
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Legend High’s Nebraska softball signee Lucy Thompson was named Colorado’s High School Female Athlete of the Year and will compete in the NFL Flag Football Girls High School Showcase live on ESPN ahead of the Pro Bowl.
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Mexican global champion Victoria Chávez has been named flag football’s candidate for The World Games Athlete of the Year 2025, with voting opening January 12 at 12:00 GMT.
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Santa Cruz County will host a girls’ flag football showcase in Aptos next week with 34 senior players as the sport gains momentum toward its 2028 Olympic debut.
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The South Kitsap Wolves girls flag football team has started a program-best 9-1 this season, driven by senior leadership and Seahawks-supported equipment.
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Four Rockford-area youth flag football teams, including two 14U boys’ squads and two middle-school girls’ teams, will scrimmage on Soldier Field’s halftime field during the Bears-Packers playoff game on January 10.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“Success isn’t owned, it’s leased. And rent is due every day.”
— J.J. Watt
