UMES to Add Division I Women’s Flag Football Program for 2024-25 Academic Year
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Teach your ball‐carrier to swing their free arm across their thigh like a mini windshield wiper before cutting—it acts as a secret shield against flag pulls, leaves defenders clutching air, and gives you a front-row seat to some hilarious ninja moves.
Postgame Parents: Before opening the fridge for a snack, drop two paper plates a couple feet apart and have your kid hop side-to-side between them three times—instant lateral plyo to crank up hip power and coordination (and bonus laughs as they almost wipe out the milk!).
Players Snap: Hand every teammate five sticky notes and make them slap one honest prop on someone’s water bottle after practice. Tiny shout-outs stack up fast to build trust tighter than any flag belt out there.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 UMES to add women’s flag football in the coming academic year
University of Maryland Eastern Shore will launch a Division I women’s flag football program this fall, joining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s inaugural season and aligning with the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women designation that accelerates collegiate growth. The addition expands UMES’s athletics lineup to 16 sports and taps into national momentum ahead of women’s flag football’s first Olympic appearance in 2028, underscoring the sport’s rising prominence and inclusion.
“We continue to be trailblazers in many ways at UMES,” said President Heidi M. Anderson. “We are excited to create a new opportunity for student-athletes through the addition of women’s flag football to our robust athletics program.”
🌍 Regional Roundup
Ottawa, Ontario: Girls and women’s flag football participation in Ottawa has surged through youth clubs and university club teams, bolstered by the upcoming 2028 Olympic debut and U Sports’ decision to pilot women’s flag football in 2027-28, creating new post-high school pathways.
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Lee County, Alabama: A summer development camp at Beauregard Park has grown from 10–12 to around 30 girls nightly, with organizers forming six homegrown teams and planning competitive matchups and unique team branding to build a feeder system for high school and rec leagues.
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Texas: Following a jump from 15 to 33 sponsoring colleges in two years, the NJCAA Board of Regents approved women’s flag football as an official championship sport for 2027-28, a move driven in part by Kilgore College Athletic Director Dr. Courtney Pruitt’s leadership.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Jason Fleury – Head coach, Gallatin High girls flag football. Fleury has been named the program’s inaugural coach, bringing his Montana Tech defensive tackle background and belief in player-led accountability to build a competitive, fun team.
“I want to empower these young gals to make that team their own. If you’re competitive and you hold yourself accountable and you hold your teammates accountable, you’re generally extremely successful as well, and that success comes naturally.” — Jason Fleury
📈 Flag Growth Focus
🔥 National Momentum with NFL FLAG
The NFL’s “Be The Story” campaign drives national awareness for flag football, converting online engagement into local league sign-ups through RCX Sports’ operator network. With youth participation at 4.1 million—up over 50% since 2020—and high school play in 40 states, the campaign supports the sport’s path to the LA28 Olympics.
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🔥 Browns Fuel Regional Growth
Since 2014 the Browns have invested $23 million in youth football facilities and programming, boosting regional participation by 163% since 2020 and paving the way for girls flag football to become an Ohio state championship sport in 2025. Their finalist nod for the ESPY’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year underscores the team’s impact in expanding equitable access and year-round flag football engagement in Northeast Ohio.
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🔥 College Flag Football Expansion
Following high school sanctioning in new states and the launch of USA TODAY’s Super 25 ranking, flag football is eyeing the college level with growing demand for varsity programs and competitive structures. This wave of expansion highlights the sport’s maturation and potential for NCAA recognition, offering fresh pathways for student-athletes nationwide.
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⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
The Buffalo Bills named Pioneer High’s Chris Edwards, Hornell High’s Mike Wilkinson and Fayetteville-Manlius High’s Ryan Aldrich as their 2026 High School Girls Flag Football Coaches of the Year, each receiving a $1,000 team grant and an invitation to a Bills minicamp practice.
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Ukraine is deploying treasure-hunting drones to search Black Sea wrecks for remains and evidence tied to the June 2022 maritime attack that killed dozens of Ukrainian sailors.
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Russia plans a new factory to produce drone-launched missiles while Belarus demonstrates Kaliningrad-style rapid troop deployment in joint military drills.
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U.S. sheriffs warn that Chinese-made wearable AI devices offering real-time facial recognition are being marketed to and exploited by criminals.
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San Francisco’s transit agency has indefinitely suspended over 100 bus lines, attributing the cuts to persistent driver and operator staffing shortages.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.”
— Jack Dempsey
