CHESTERTOWN — Washington College is adding flag football as a sport for women, beginning as a club program in the 2026-27 academic year and set to compete at the varsity level in the spring of 2028.
The decision to elevate women’s flag football to the varsity level comes soon after the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association sanctioned flag football as a championship sport for girls.
“By offering flag football at the varsity level, Washington College becomes one of the few institutions in Maryland to provide collegiate opportunities in the sport, creating a pathway for student-athletes who played in high school and wish to continue competing while staying in-state,” a college spokesperson said.
Washington College joins a growing but still select group of NCAA institutions to offer the sport at a varsity level.
Division III hosts the greatest number of participating schools for the sport after it was officially labeled as an “emerging sport” by the NCAA earlier this year.
In May, it was announced that women’s flag football had received a formal recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact to become a championship sport.
If all three divisions agree to sponsor the championship in January 2027, the first women’s flag football national championship would be in spring of 2028.
“One of the pillars of Washington’s athletic department’s strategic plan is expanding programs that align with the department’s goals and mission. With women’s flag football recently announced as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Games and the NCAA Division III designation of the sport as an emerging sport, adding this varsity program is a natural fit,” Thad Moore, the college’s associate vice president and director of athletics, said in a statement May 28.
“As opportunities for girls and women to compete in this sport continue to grow nationwide, we’re thrilled to welcome these student-athletes to Goose Nation, a place they can achieve excellence and growth on the field and off,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Sarah Feyerherm.
If you are a prospective student-athlete interested in learning more about women’s flag football at Washington College, reach out to Jack Despeaux at jdespeaux2@washcoll.edu.
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BALTIMORE — The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, the official governing body for interscholastic athletics for grades 9 to 12, on April 24 sanctioned girls flag football as its 26th state championship sport.
Following a unanimous vote by the MPSSAA Board of Control and approval of Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright, the sport will transition from “emerging” status to a fully recognized varsity state championship effective for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The MPSSAA inaugural season will operate three separate state championship classification tournaments based on each school’s enrollment.
The season will begin on the first official fall sports practice date of Aug. 12 and culminate with the state championship games at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore by mid-November.
This decision marks the culmination of a multi-year initiative in partnership with the Baltimore Ravens.
The journey began in January 2021, when the MPSSAA initiated discussion with the Ravens and collaboratively built a shared vision for a sustainable competitive framework.
The Ravens and Frederick County Public Schools combined to make the vision a reality with the pilot season in 2023 with 10 teams.
In four years, participation has grown to 66% of MPSSAA member schools [132 schools] participating by 2026.
The MPSSAA Board of Control criteria require at least 40% of the membership for state championship consideration, surpassing the regulatory threshold for consideration.
In a news release, the MPSSAA described the growth of girls flag football as “meteoric” and provided the following data:
• 2023-24: 10 participating schools
• 2024-25: 53 participating schools
• 2025-26: 91 participating schools
• 2026-2027 [projected]: 132 participating schools statewide
The rapid growth of girls flag football can be attributed to the partnerships developed by the Ravens and local school systems, with the Ravens to date having provided more than $1 million in total funding support to participating school systems.
In conjunction with Under Armour, the Ravens also have provided uniforms to each participating county since launching the initiative.
